Rewind to a New Beginning
by DeafAngel2000
Summary: It's been a year since Charlotte was a mermaid and is trying to redeem herself and fix her mistakes in Valencia, California. While trying to discover the meaning of friendship, she takes in a stray that saves her from a gang. What if, she's unconsiously drawn to a hidden cave one night and regains her tail, her old powers, and some new ones? First fic, please read!
1. Chapter 1

Hi. My name is DeafAngel2000 and this is my first H2O story. However, i won't be ocusing on our four favorite mermaids. Instead, I will be writing abot the most hated mermaid on the show, Charlotte Wattsford. Please read and don't judge Charlotte for what she's done on the show. Set back, your about to read a Charlotte story you ain't never seen before!


	2. New Start, New Beginnings

"Charlotte! C'mon! The faster you bring in those boxes, the faster we can catch a break!" her mom, Annette yelled as she brought in the last few boxes. They had just moved into a new house ALL the way to America. To Santa Clarita, California, no less. Well, while her mom works in Los Angeles, as a chief in a small, but popular restaurant,they are living in Valencia, Santa Clarita , a county in California. And, to be honest, she's glad to be so far away since...

Charlotte shook her head. Though she knew she couldn't forget what happened in Australia, she would try to change herself, personality speaking, and start fresh. _Well, this is my new life_, she thought. Then, her mom came in from the kitchen.

"Well, isn't this great? Here we are, living in a beautiful house that's a short ride to the beach, the mall, or wherever you teenagers go," she said as she hugged her ," Listen, I got a call from my boss and I have to get going. Do you mind if I leave you here?"

Charlotte shook her head.

"Well, Thanks." Her mom grabbed the keys and headed to the car. " I'll pick something up on the way home! Feel free to roam around!" her mom said as she went out the door. Charlotte waited until the sound of the car's engine was far in the distance.

She looked around the 2-story house. It had 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms(meaning she has one to herself), living room, a gourmet kitchen, and a small pool in the back. She could see what her mom meant when she said it was the " American Dream House'' when she brought it. Then, she went back into the living room, which happened to be full of boxes. " Well, if your going to change yourself Char, start learning to make yourself useful," she said to herself.

Immediately, she got to work. She, first, put all the all the boxes into the room where they belong( meaning the kitchen boxes went into the kitchen, her boxes went into her empty room, her mom's boxes went into her room, and put all the bathroom stuff in hers and her mom's bathroom.) After that, she spent 3 hours unpacking EVERY SINGLE THING and putting it in order. Thank goodness the moving men brought and moved the furniture in early, and put them in the correct rooms, so she already knew where to put everything.

She looked at her watch. 5:30pm. She's been busy. She looked around the house again. It barely looks like she just moved in. Looking at her watch again, knowing she still had a few hours left until her mom got back. She went upstairs and changed from her simple t-shirt and jeans to a long white, sleeve-less dress and white sandals. She made her long, red hair into a French braid and grabbed her sunglasses. _Well, I'm ready to go_, she thought. She went downstairs, left a note on the kitchen counter, and left the house.

She boarded a bus at the bus stop on the corner and the driver said "Well, your new here , aren't ya?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I just moved in with my mom. She's gone at the moment so I'm doing a little exploring. What's the most popular place for teens to go?"

The driver laughed and said " Tell me your name and I'll drop you off personally." She smiled." Charlotte Watsford," she said. The driver smiled and said "Take a seat , Charlotte, but beware the drive will be a little long and out of my jurisdiction." Charlotte nodded and sat down.

An hour later, the driver yelled "CHARLOTTE WATSFORD!"

The bus was empty, except for her and the driver. So, she got up and went to him. "Here's your stop, Now I got to go. Be here at 9 so I can pick you up, O.K.?" "O.K." she said. As she got off the bus , the Diver said one thing.

"Hey Charlotte."

She turned to him.

"Yeah ?" He grinned.

"Welcome to Paradise Cove."

* * *

**Alright this is the first official chapter of my story and I need a few ideas. But I need to clear something:**

**1. Charlotte being a mermaid is the key part of this story.**

**2. The dog will still be a Pit-bull Terrier.**

**3. There is NO pairing. This story is about her redeeming herself and fixing her mistakes. So , she doesn't need a guy to date. ( POWER TO FEMINISM!)**

**4. In this story, Charlotte gets to keep her tail and power, permanently. SPOILER!**


	3. A Strange Day At The Beach

As the bus rode away, Charlotte looked at the beach. It was a defiantly looker, and strangely familiar, but she had to find out where she was. Suddenly, she spotted a restaurant called the "_Paradise Cove Beach Café". _She sighed and went into the café. The theme of the restaurant looked like something out of a beach hang out in the movies. The place was packed. Everyone was either sitting inside the restaurant or sitting outside enjoying the sun.

"NEXT!"

Charlotte jumped. She didn't realize that she had stepped in line. In front of her was an old woman, probably younger than her grandmother. Her grayish-brown hair was in a messy bun, her skin didn't have any wrinkles but was baby pink, and had deep blue eyes that looked like she's seen the beginning of the world and everything since. She was wearing an apron, had a pen and notebook in hand, and was looking up at her expectantly.

"Well, what are you ordering?" she asked. Charlotte looked around in her dress pockets and realized that she left her wallet. AT HOME.

" Oh! I am so sorry. I don't have any money, but I was wondering if-" " Leave," the woman said sternly.

"But-but I need to know where I am and-"she started.

"Where you need to go is out of this restaurant and come back with money!" the woman whispered angrily. Charlotte knew it was a losing battle, but that didn't stop her from grabbing the woman's arm as she tried to leave.

'' Just listen to me!" Charlotte exclaimed. The woman looked her right in the eye and suddenly... everything faded.

* * *

_Water. Water was the first thing she saw. The sand and the corals stayed in place as the fish passed by. Fish? She then realized that she was under water. But how was she breathing? She looked down and saw that where her feet should be, it was a tail. A TAIL?! She gasped. Hadn't she already learned her lesson already? But this tail was different. Instead of the copper-orange tail her old one used to be, this one was bluish-red color and it seemed to sparkle a little. How was that possible ?_

_Come. _

_She heard a voice. A feminine one. It sounded so old, yet so young and soothing at the same time._

_Come to me, my precious Charlotte._

_Suddenly, she had the urge to swim. Then, she did. She was a little out of practice since it's been a year since she had a tail. Suddenly, she was moving through the water at ease. She soon found herself swimming really fast, like she was swimming at the speed of light like there was nothing to stop her at all! Oh how she didn't even realize how much she missed being a mermaid!_

_Come to me , my sweet precious Charlotte._

_She didn't need any more encouragement. She swam to the voice she, for some strange reason, instantly loved so much. She swam with an open heart, as if her life depended on it._

_Come... _

* * *

She woke up the moment cold water hit her straight in the face.

"David! What did I tell you?" a voice yelled.

" Easy, wake anyone whose been frozen by Grams up with cold water," a voice said cockily.

" Why you little-" " STOP! she's awake!" A female voice said. Charlotte looked up. A man who looks about in his 30s looked down at her. He had black hair, tan skin, and eyes the color of night. He looked at her sternly. Beside him was a boy, probably around 13,who was holding a bucket and grinning in amusement. He also had tan skin, but turquoise eyes and brown hair. The woman looked just like the boy and was really pregnant. She was looking at her in concern and relief.

"Honey, are you alright?" she asked.

" She wasn't turned to stone, so I give her the a O.K.!" the boy said, giving her a thumbs up. The man scolded him.

"Brendan, this is no time for jokes who knows what she saw!" Wait? What does he mean about 'what I saw'?

The woman turned to them and said"Hush you two!" and turned towards her, " are you alright?" Charlotte nodded.

"Yeah, a little_ wet," _she said, referring to Brendan_,"_ from the splash but it's all good. Who are you?" she asked. The woman introduced herself.

" I'm Karen and this is Jonathan," she gestured to the man, " my husband, and this is Brendan,'' she gestured to the boy who gave her the peace sign.

"'Sup." Karen rolled her eyes.

" He's my son AND MY PRIDE AND JOY!" she said as she started to kiss him on the cheeks. "Moooommm," the boy whined. Charlotte smiled at them. _They must be close_, she thought. she heard a cough. She turned around.

Charlotte swore her heart stopped.

It was the old woman, only her hair was down and was wearing what looked to be a nightgown. Charlotte tried to get up, but realized that she was on the floor. So, she stood up and faced her. Karen stopped kissing Brendan and introduced her.

"This is my mom, Laguna. Mom this is..."

''Charlotte. Charlotte Watsford, " Charlotte said. She held up her hand for a handshake, which Laguna reluctantly shook. Suddenly, she remembered something. She turned to Karen.

" I have two questions. 1. Where am I? 2. How long have I been out?"

"You were out for 30 minutes and you're in Malibu, sweetie, and our office ," she answered. Malibu? No wonder this beach felt familiar. She's seen enough movies and shows to know what it looked like.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I got to get going," she said as she was walking out the room. Suddenly, her stomach growled. Karen laughed.

"Well, right after you eat first." Charlotte nodded in embarrassment.

The restaurant was less crowded and the family made her some to-go salmon burgers, macadamia coconut shrimp. same fries, a seaweed salad, much to Brendan's disgust, and a coke. After thanking the family many times, she was about to leave when Laguna stopped her outside the restaurant.

" I just wanted to... apologize for the way I acted earlier. I should have just answered your questions." She turned to leave when Charlotte stopped her.

"Wait! When I touched you, I had a ... you know, never mind. I'll just be on my way." She started to leave when she heard her ask "Was it like a dream, only it felt like a vision? Charlotte turned around. "Yes."

"Then tell me what it was about," she said. It was like Charlotte was a spy and she needed to extract information from her. Charlotte was startled at her persistence, but told her what happened.

" I was under water, and I had... I had a tail, a bluish-red one and it sparkled. Then a woman's voice called me, telling me to come to her. For some reason, it felt like I had known and loved that voice for a long time, like it was my mom or something. I started swimming fast, like I was free from a prison or something. What does it mean?"

Though she thought she was going to get a straight answer, Laguna just shook her head, like she was told of a bad omen. "That reminds me of a legend, but I can't tell you now. Request me the next time you come and we'll talk." And with that , she walked away.

An hour later, Charlotte found herself standing at the edge of the pier. From a brochure she found, it said that it was 600ft long in the 1980s, but a storm ended up damaging it, causing it to be 220ft long. The pier has a spectacular 360 degree view from Palos Verde to Point Dume, so you can watch the sunset. And it was living up to it. Though the restaurant looked beautiful at sunset, the view from the pier was amazing And if you lean close, you'll feel like your on top of the world.

Suddenly, Charlotte saw a full moon on the horizon. She remembers the moon well. It was what had made her a mermaid in the first place and was the one that took her powers away. Not that she was mad about it . After the way she abused her powers like that, she had every right to lose them. And she was glad. She doesn't want to end up like that anymore. Not evil, but just ordinary. After all, ordinary is okay, right? **( Does this line remind anyone of a certain Pixar movie?)**

_Come._

That voice again. It was calling her.

_Come to me Charlotte._

And how did it know who she was?

_Come_...

She didn't realize she was doing it, but she started to climb on the edge of the pier. She looked down, below her would be water if she jumped.

_Come..._

She saw the words _NO JUMPING OR DIVING_ spray-painted on the side of the pier.

_Come..._

_...come_

She jumped.

* * *

The water. Flowing water passed through her as she landed in it. It felt so...calm and relaxing, like it wanted her to be there. She missed the feeling.

_Come..._

She needed to go to that voice. She needed to be with it.

beep..beep...

Something was wrong. She's not a mermaid anymore. She shouldn't be moon struck.

Beep...Beep...

_Come..._

No. She won't come . She won't be influenced. She won't be a mermaid. Never again.

She tried to open her mouth, but only water entered. She couldn't breath. She...needed...oxygen.

BEEP...BEEP...

_Come.._

NO!

Charlotte rushed back to the surface. The moment fresh air hit her lungs, she swam back to shore. She looked at her now water-filled watch. 9:00pm. Her bus was here, and it possibly just saved her live. She quickly grabbed and put on her sandals, that she had left by a beach chair. She had to get there. She still felt the feeling of the water. It was pulling her...killing her. _Had I just tried to drown myself?, _she thought. Finally, she made it, but the driver was not happy.

"Where the heck were ya? Do you want to be left- why are you soaking wet?" he asked. She looked at herself. Her dress was so wet, it was almost see through. Her hair was drenched. And she lost her sunglasses. The only good thing that she wasn't wearing any makeup or else it would have smeared.

"I fell."

As pathetic as that sounded, she got on the bus. The driver handed her a towel.

"Well, since your alright, I'll just take you to the mall next time. O.K.?" She looked at him. Part of her wanted to yell at him for leaving her at an unknown place. But he kept his promise to come back for her.

She smiled and said "O.k." as she sat down and dried herself. Because this was the new Charlotte, a girl who won't hold grudges over others.

As the bus started to ride off, no one noticed an old woman standing in the middle of the rode, watching it drive off.

" So, it's her that she wants. Oh no."

* * *

As soon as Charlotte got off the bus, the first thing she did was run into the house, change out of her wet clothes and take a shower before her mom got home.

30 minutes later, her mom walked in the door with a bag of Mexican food in her hand.

"Honey?" she asked as she wondered through the house. Annette was amazed at how clean up the house was. It was like they hadn't just moved in. She found her daughter watching TV in the living room, her back facing her.

"Hi honey," she said as she shoved the bag in Charlotte's face.

She laugh and said" I'm sorry I'm late, I was doing a little site seeing, What did you do while I was gone?" Charlotte shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing much, just unpacked the boxes and stuff." Her mom smiled.

"I see that. Normally, you would just place the boxes in the rooms they go in, now you're unpacking them?" she hugged her," what would I'd without you. I'm going to go take a shower, while you eat. Is that O.K.?" Charlotte turned to her mother.

"Mom, I might almost be an adult, but you don't have to ask for my permission all the time. you can do what ever you want, just don't drink or do drugs." The mother and daughter laughed as her mom went to take a shower. This is the new Charlotte: useful, forgiving, responsible, hilarious ,and loving. For some reason, she felt a boulder of burden lift off her. So,_ this is what it feels like to be a new person_, she thought, _this feels great_..

But that night, wasn't anything but pleasant. Charlotte tossed and turned all night, a feeling of restlessness coming over her.

_Come._

Her eyes popped out wide open and she sat straight up. That voice wasn't calling to her. It was like it haunting her, like a ghost. All the love it had been gone, only horror. Part of her wanted to find that bus driver and demand him to take her to Paradise Cove this instant. But she didn't. Her first day of school was tomorrow , and since it was her last year of high school, she hoped to keep her life as normal as possible. She hoped.

* * *

**Alright, now this is the 2nd official chapter of Rewind to a New Beginning. Wow, Charlotte met a lot of new people today. So, in case you caught what I did with the old woman standing in the road part, what do you think is up with Laguna and who is this "she" that she mention and why is "she" calling out to Charlotte ? IT'S NOT URSULA, IF THAT WAS WHAT YOUR THINKING! Just something far more sinister. The next chapter is about Charlotte's first day of high school as a senior. SPOILER! I HAD TO GIVE HER A BAD DAY FOR CHAPTER 5 AND LET'S SEE WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO HER AFTER SHE LEFT AUSTRALIA AND WHY.**

**READ & REVIEW!**


	4. VHS, A Place For A Girl, Unlike Me

**This chapter is about Charlotte's first day of senior year at Valencia High School( an actual school). I'm thinking of putting her in 5 different activities: art program, softball team, swim team, debate team, and/or choir. I want you guys to choose which one you want her to be in( it can be more than 1 and only these 5 activities). This story is in her POV. One last thing: NO HATING ON CHARLOTTE!**

* * *

**Charlotte's POV**

Beep! Beep! Beep! Bee-

Smack!

I woke up and looked at my alarm clock. 6:00am. I groaned. _I'm still on the Georgia time zone, _I thought as I sluggishly got out of bed. You see, while it's 6:00 in Georgia, it's 6:30 in California.**( I'm not sure if that's true or not. I'm just making this up along as I go, so bear with me.)** But even with the 30 minute time difference, I still had to take a shower before 7 or else I wouldn't have enough time to do my hair, which has grown a lot over 12 months. Still feeling sluggish, I hauled myself out of bed, only to hit the ._ Ouch!, _I thought. Though I was still groggy, the fall gave me enough energy to walk into the bathroom. As I turned on the shower to warm, I discarded my night-clothes and got in. At first, it felt suddenly, I felt dizzy, like I was about to faint and pass out. Thinking it was just the water, I shrugged it off and continued to wash my body. Then, right as I was in the middle of washing my hair, I heard _it_.

_Charlotte..._

I froze. Where is this voice coming from?

_Come back to me Charlotte..._

"It's all in my head, it's all in my head, it's all in my head..." I muttered as I quickly finished washing my hair and turned the water off.

I waited. And waited. And waited. The voice didn't come back and I shuddered. "Freaky," I muttered. After putting on my bathrobe, I went to the sink and did my morning ritual: brushing my teeth, washing my face, blow-drying my hair, and etc. After that, I went into my bedroom and changed into my school clothes I brought from my closet : a red, long-sleeve plaid shirt with a white t-shirt underneath, ripped denim jeans, and white vans. Then, I spent a few minutes putting my hair into a braid that slung over my shoulder **( Elsa's "Let It Go" braid)** . I looked at the time. 7:30am. _Good, _she thought,_ I still have 30 minutes to eat._ With that, I grabbed my leather satchel and left her room.

"Mom," I said as I stuck my head into my mother's bedroom. Empty. There was evidence that my mom had been here, like the smell of her shampoo and the bathroom door opened. But her bed was made and her work stuff were gone. So, I assumed she was in the kitchen making breakfast, assuming she brought groceries.

"Mom?" I asked as I entered the kitchen. She wasn't there, but I found a McDonald's pancake platter with a note attached to it. I opened it and read:

_**Charlotte,**_

_**I'm sorry I couldn't be with you for your first day of school, but the boss called me in , saying my presence was needed at work early. I brought you some pancakes if you got hungry.**_

_**Love you,**_

_**Mom**_

I sighed. I know her job was important and all, heck, at the moment, it was what kept a roof over our heads, but couldn't she have waited to see me before she left? I sighed again and started to eat my breakfast , no matter how much it needed to be reheated.

* * *

**3rd POV**

By the time the bus came , Charlotte was already outside , enjoying the early, orange morning sky**. **As the bus pulled up, her eyes widened to see who was driving as she got on. It was the bus driver from yesterday.

"You drive school buses too? What else don't I now about you?" she asked. He winked.

"This is during the week and my name's Phil," he said humorously," hey, I wanted to apologize for leaving you in Malibu un-expectantly. No hard feelings?"

Charlotte waved her hand. "Don't worry, I actually had a great time there. But, next time, could you take me to a mall or something that's close to the beach next time?" The bus driver, Phil, nodded.

"Sure, and welcome to Valencia High." She smiled and took her seat. Sitting next to her was a black girl with wild hair and was wearing a blue, flower-print summer dress with 1 inch black stilettos.

"Hi, I'm Charlotte. Charlotte Watsford," she said, offering her hand. The girl looked up and shook it." I'm Alaine. Alaine Williams. You can call me Lanni with a 'i"." She nodded.

"Nice to meet you ''Lanni-with-an-i'."

Both girls busted out laughing. The two talked all along the ride and Charlotte was sure the day was starting off to a good start.

When the bus arrived at Valencia, almost immediately, everyone got off. Well, except for Charlotte. Phil wanted to talk to her.

"Hey, if you have any questions while your here, you can find me on any bus at any bus stop," he said," and if when you're having a bad day, any day, I'll wait outside the school." She raised her eyebrow.

''Don't you have to drive other kids around?"

"I'm free at lunch," he said.

"Well, next time, can you leave me near the Paradise Cove mall next time?" she suggested. Phil nodded.

"Charlotte! Come on!" she heard Alaine exclaim from outside the waved goodbye and headed towards the school.

She had to admit , she was a bit starstruck by the site of the campus** ( look on my profile and click on the link for Charlotte's school)**. Thankfully, Alaine gripped her hand and dragged her to the inside of the school. "Come on! " she said, "we have to get to the bulletin board before the Seniors get there!" Before she could ask her what she meant, they finally made it to what seemed like the center of the school.

There was a large bulletin board with tons of flyers and event notices on it.

"Quick! Take out a pen and sign up for something before the seniors come and take up everything!" Alaine said as she searched through her backpack for a pen. Charlotte started to do the same thing and asked"Why do we need to sign up for something?"

"The seniors are trying to start taking over the extra curricular activities since, instead of doing these things over their 4 YEARS here, they're in a rush to do stuff to add to their many list of achievements to put on their resumes. Those idiots." Before Charlotte could retort to that, Alaine pushed her to the board. As she looked at it, some of the fliers said:

**HAVE A LOVELY VOICE? JOIN THE VALENCIA HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR! TRYOUTS ARE ON FRIDAY 9TH FROM 5:30PM-6:30PM!**

**GOT A GOOD KICK? COME TRYOUT FOR THE LADY VIKINGS SOFTBALL TEAM? ON TUESDAY 13TH, SAME TIME AS CHOIR TRYOUTS! SEE YOU THERE!**

**HAVE AN ARTISTIC GOOD EYE? HAVE SCHOOL SPIRIT? BE OUR NEXT ARTIST TO PAINT OUR NEXT SCHOOL MURAL! SUBMIT YOUR ENTREES TODAY AND BE THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN JANURARY!**

**LIKE TO FEEL THE ADRENALINE RUSH IN THE WATER? JOIN THE VALENCIA SWIM TEAM ? NEXT WEEK ,SAME DAY AND SAME TIME AS CHOIR TRYOUTS!**

**ARE YOU A VOICE OF REASON? READY TO FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS? JOIN SPEECH & DEBATE TODAY! WE ARE FREE TO WALK-INS!**

_WOW,_ she thought, _I can see why Alaine was in a hurry. The activities here are PRICELESS!_ Unsure of what to choose, Charlotte quickly signed up for the for the activities that sounded great for her.

* * *

RRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG!

Lunch.

Never in her whole life has Charlotte ever been thankful to get food in her stomach. The day had not been so pleasant to her, at all.

After signing up for the activities, Alaine found out she was a senior when she looked at her schedule, she simply rejected her like yesterday's trash, saying that she 'lied' to her, when she simply didn't ask her. Then, during Math, her first class, her teacher called her to write an equation on the board, some guy thought it was funny to stick his foot out, causing her to fall face flat on the floor, which resulted to a trip to the nurse's office, which caused her to be tardy to her next class, , during P.E., the guy who tripped her, and got detention, thought it was funny to use her as a target during a game of dodge ball. Now, she was so sore that her skin was visibly red from the hits.

After paying for my lunch, she decided to eat at a secluded table in a corner for away from the rest of the student body. Today wasn't her best day after all. While she was walking to her seat, she spotted Alaine sitting down with to other girls. One was an Asian with beautiful black hair and the other was a blond that reminded her of... Lewis. Only, she was a girl and had her hair in a ponytail and had on wide glasses. They looked like they were good friends, like a sisterly bond that she had yet to understand. Heck, they even had matching bracelets. She'd never seen a bond that close since... since she met Cleo, Emma, and Rikki.

Though it's been a year since the 'mermaid' ordeal, 12 months to be exact, since she left in the middle of the year. She couldn't even explain how unbelievably sorry for the way she treated everyone. After she gave back the necklace to Cleo, her mom had sold her restaurant and met some guy, who is now her boss, who gave her a job in America. This resulted into a job transfer to the States. Since then, she never knew where she stood with anyone. She felt guilty about what she did. From stealing Lewis, to using her powers to harm the girls, even going as far as trying to take their powers away.

After that, she became depressed. So far that.. one day, she was just going to take a nap after she had come back from school and the next day, she found herself waking up in a hospital with her mom laying next to her, her eyes tear-stained. She told her that when she came to check on her, she barely had a pulse. It turned out that, in a way, she was starving herself and her stomach was practically empty. And to make it worse, she didn't remember how it felt.

When she talked to her doctor, he asked her what caused her to almost commit suicide. Charlotte knew she couldn't tell him without exposing Mako, so she told him she was having a hard time, in life. After four months of feeding tubes inside her , she was released with a prescription for anti-depressant pills.

Charlotte didn't realize she was crying until she felt something land on her hand. She looked down and saw the wetness glisten from her hand. Wiping her tears away, she grabbed her half-eaten lunch and threw it away as she rushed out of the cafeteria. She went to find a teacher and tell them that she didn't feel good. Well, that didn't need anymore encouragement.

Her eyes were puffy, her skin was red, along with her skin turning pale, and she had a churning sickness in her stomach. The teacher wrote her a pass and wished well. But she wasn't going home. She threw the pass away and headed off campus to find Phil. She wanted to leave. Her mom told her to never run away never run away from her problems. But now wasn't an option. She was about to waste probably countless hours trying to find him... but there was no need. She saw Phil leaning on the side of the bus, waiting for her.

"Hey, Miss Red Skin. There's no malls near Paradise Cove, but that doesn't mean you can't have a good time," he said, "so, you ready to go?"

* * *

**Okay, this is the end of Charlotte's first day of Senior Year at high school. Despite was seems wrong, c'mon, everybody has bad days. So, the next episode is how she gets her first friend. Do you remember the dog, specifically the pit bull terrier, that I mentioned earlier? Well, he makes his depute. So, what activities should Charlotte go for? I have a poll on my profile , letting you have a choice on what she's going to do. Read and review !**


	5. I Find a Guard and a Friend

**Okay, this is the 4th official chapter of RtaNB! This is also the story where the dog comes in, and let me tell you, this is one smart dog. So smart, that he plays a role in Charlotte's ''transformation'', if you now what I mean ^_- !**

* * *

Well, they did go to the mall, but it was on short notice. The principal called Phil in, telling him to come in since there was a transportation issue with the football team.

"Well, looks like I can't take you to the beach, how about a mall near by your place," he suggested. Charlotte thought for a moment. They didn't have enough time to go to beach. So, why not?

"Know any good malls nearby ?" she asked.

"I suggest the Town Center Mall. It's a few minutes from your place and has a ton of clothing stores and restaurants. Do you have any cash on you?"

She nodded. As much as she was knew she didn't want to admit it, she had worked tons of odd jobs and being a good negotiator that she was , sort of, she made $3-400 and that was on her debit card.

"Yeah, I have enough. Don't wait for me, I'll get my mom to pick me up or I'll come up with something," she said. Then, he dropped her off at the front of the center. As she got off the bus, he said "Good luck and if the slightest thing goes wrong, call 911." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Yes dad." Phil snorted as he started the engine and drove off.

* * *

**Charlotte's POV**

When I entered the mall, I honestly that the size didn't matter. The Cinema movie theater was the first place I wanted to go, but I decided against it. I might have come here to avoid my disastrous day at school, but I needed to get some other things. But as I walked past jewelry booths, toy stores, and small clothing departments (_ Note to self, go to various boutiques for prom dresses,_ I thought), I was just starting to underestimate the size until I found a Walmart! I mean, in a mall, a store as big as Walmart usually had its own building. But, now I can see why the mall is so big. It houses one of the most popular stores in the country. Suddenly, I remembered that the refrigerator at home was empty. I smirked. This could be fun.

* * *

"That will be $150.27, plus $37 for tax," the woman at the cash register said. I brought out my credit card and paid for it. The woman smiled.

" Have a nice day," she said as I walked out of Walmart with a basket full of groceries. I had to admit , I did the best I when it came to grocery shopping. When your single parent is a chief, you always have to be one step ahead of them. And by that, I mean , I had gotten half the stuff that was on my mom's grocery list:

1. Vegetables

2 onions

2 pineapples

6 potatoes

6 bags of broccoli florets

8 bell peppers

2. Fruit

1 box of strawberries

5 apples

10 lemons and limes (5 each)

3 bananas

3 oranges

3. Meat

1 lb. of ground beef

steak

bacon

4. Dairy

2 gallons of Milk

1 carton of eggs

butter

flour

sugar

5 spices ( varies)

cheese ( mixed)

5. Beverages

Coca Cola

Lemonade

1 pack of water

This only made up half the basket and I needed to go shopping. So, I decided to go to what seemed to be a new store and they just happened to have a few boxes lying around. The manager gladly let me use the boxes to pack the groceries in and even told me to leave the boxes inside the store until I had to leave. **( I know this seems boring, unreal, and unreadable , but I needed to give Charlotte something to do to lead up to my surprise!) **The only thing that surprised me was that no one seem to questioned my age, but then again, I'm almost 18, So, I almost look like an adult. Later, I decided to look around some more. The Walmart wasn't the only big store here. There was a L.A. Fitness, Abercrombie & Finch, Filene's Basement, and other stores. I looked on a pamphlet and read the mall's history. It turns out that when 2013 comes **( I looked to see when season 2 aired and it was from 2007-2008. So, the time period here is 2009.) **it marks the 100th anniversary. And since then, it's expanded.

_Grrrr..._

I looked down at my stomach. _I must've not eaten enough lunch at school_, I thought. I sighed to myself and went outside.

* * *

**3rd POV**

The moment Charlotte stepped out side, the sun was blinding and burning. She had also forgotten how hot California could get during the day. So, she took off her plaid shirt and wrapped it around her waist, exposing her t-shirt and her now de-redden skin. She started to walk along the sidewalk, partly people-watching as she saw others taking and enjoying others company, partly rushing to find the food court. Then, she saw a big sign that said " _FOOD PAVILION _" on top of a big opening in between two buildings. She went to have a look and her mouth widened. The food court was outside.

_Grrrr..._

Her stomach growled again and she complied. As she walked into the pavilion, she noticed the different types of food stands there. There was Taco Bell, KFC, McDonald, Wendy's, and a lot more. Though, she was more than delightful when she found her favorite restaurant , Veggieland **(Sue me if you don't like the name. Being the daughter of a chief, you are more likely to eat healthy). **She loved that restaurant. It was her mom's boss's idea to promote healthy food to kids. It sort of works like McDonald with the toys, but instead of promoting fast food, it was healthy food, the menu was courtesy of her mom. Though the age level was supposed to be from 12 months to 10 years old, everyone liked it so muck that even teens and adults came, even Charlotte. Though the restaurant was really a small food stand like the others, it did not disappoint.

As she walked up to the stand, she reached for her wallet and it fell to the ground, with the contents spilling out, credit cards and everything. _D__arn!, she_ thought as she got down. As she was picking it up, somebody stooped down and started to help her.

When they were done, she wasn't looking at the person until she heard the person ask "Are you alright?"

She looked up, she saw a tan guy with black hair and bluish purple eyes, probably a birth defect. He looked like a surfer since he was wearing baggy shorts and a navy blue t-shirt. Charlotte nodded.

''Yeah. Thanks for helping me.'' The guy held out his hand.

''No sweat, no problem. I'm Jason.'' She shook his hand.

''Charlotte.'' She gave him a small smile. She didn't want to be rude, but she just wanted to get her food and leave. She wasn't interested in anyone, but by the smile Jason was giving her, he was definitely interested in her.

''Well, as much as I would love to chat, I sort of hungry.'' She was trying to give him a hint to leave her alone, but he thought the opposite. Instead, he got out his wallet. '' How about I pay for your lunch and we could sit with my buddies .'' It wasn't a suggestion, but almost an order. She sighed. This was bad.

* * *

**Charlotte's POV**

After he paid for my deluxe veggie burger, apple fries, carrots and a side of water, I'm not a vegan but I just so happen to love veggie burgers, Jason grabbed my tray and led my to his friends. Most of them were older guys, probably in their twenties.

''Hey guys, look who's dining with us?'' he said as we sat down.

"Charlotte, this is Jonas'', he pointed to a tall Latino,

'' Devin'', he pointed to a tall black guy,

'' Marick '', he pointed to a blond who also had an athletic built,

'' and my little brother, Jose,'' he referred to a younger-looking version of him. It wasn't till then that I realized that Jason was a little older than the rest. I started to slowly eat my food and kept my head down.

They had started talking like I wasn't there until I heard a gruff voice asked ''So, what school are you attending?'' I looked up to see that it was Devin who asked.

''I just started going to Valencia High Today,'' I said. Suddenly, they all stopped talking and looked at me.

''So, your 18?'' Jose asked.

I shook my head and said ''I'm still 17,'' Jason said. I didn't notice his hand was on her getting until I felt his hand ride up a little _too_ close to my pant's zipper. I instantly got up from my seat. The guys stared at me. Their once calm eyes were now hungry, like a pack of wolves that had found their next meal. Me.

So, I did the most logical thing to do...

I bolted.

* * *

**3rd POV**

As Charlotte sprinted out of the pavilion and ran onto the unusually empty sidewalks, she listened for footprints if they were running after her. She wanted to get back into the mall, not only to make sure Phil was there to pick her up, but to make sure she got witnesses. She was about to look to look back to check when...

WOOF!

She looked and saw a dog in front of her. It was a pit bull terrier, the ones that are used to guard junk yards. It had a coat of brownish-gold all over and white fur that followed from the bottom of its head to the belly. The ears were up, though side looked chipped off. And then she noticed the metal chain around its neck. Charlotte started to step back. If a pit bull terrier had a chain around its neck, it must be bad, right? But the dog didn't look interested in her, despite the angry look it had. She looked behind her and she swore her heart stopped, again. The guys from the pavilion were running towards her, and they did not look happy**. (Excuse the language I'm about to use!) **

''Get back here you little slut! We aren't done yet!'' Jason yelled as his friends spat out curses. She looked at the dog again.

The dog still had that angry look on its face, it was looking at her like it was saying ''_What are you waiting for? RUN!'' _And she did that.

WOOF! WOOF! Grrrr...

''AAAAHHHHH!''

Charlotte turned around and could not believe the site.

The dog was biting Jason little baby maker. Jason looked like he was gonna pass out in pain. His friends were running away like little cowards. And most of all, Charlotte didn't know if she should scream for help or laughing her ass off.

By the time the dog let go, Jason was running along to his friends, clutching his crouch tightly. She was about to walk away when the dog came running towards her. But instead of looking fierce, it looked really happy. You could always tell that when a dog was panting, it was also grinning like a fool. Unaware of what she was doing, she knelt as the dog came up to her and started licking her face.

''Hey, hey,'' she said as the dog stopped licking her and looked at her,'' I don't know why your so happy. After all, you practically stopped that guy from having kids!''

The dog started to pout. Charlotte didn't know why she was talking to a dog to begin with, especially after it just committed a violent act a moment ago, but began to smile and ruffled him around his good ear.

''But, he and his friends would have done something_ very_ bad to me if you hadn't interfered. So, I forgive you.'' Then, the dog smiled, or she thinks it did, and licked her again.

''So, what are you?'' she muttered as she looked in between his legs. Then, she saw a penis.

Yep, the dog was a boy. Then, she came up with an idea.''So, I'll make a compromise. If you can protect me from people like those guys, you can come live with me, only under some ground rules. How does that sound?" After all, this dog saved her life. How else could she repay him, despite being an animal?

WOOF! WOOF!

Charlotte took that as a yes. Then, she took a look at his eyes. His eyes were brown, but not like his coat. They were caramel brown. Suddenly, she had a good name idea on what to name him.

"Also, I need to give you a name, not too violent and not too cuddly. Would you like the name Thomas? Your eyes remind me of a candy bar named Thomas and that's the best name I can come up with?"

WOOF! WOOF!

She took that as a yes. Charlotte held out her hand and the dog, Thomas, put his paw on it and made her move her hand up and down, as if to be shaking her hand. (HAHA! My dog, Tiger, does the same thing too!)

"Thomas, this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

WOOF! WOOF!

So,the two started to walk back to the entrance of the mall. And as Charlotte walked in, she didn't have to turn around. Because she knew that her new, trusty sidekick would still be there, waiting for her.

* * *

**Well people, that is the end of my official chapter 4th, 5 if you count my introduction chapter. So, Charlotte brings Thomas into her life and , in my next stories, the companion who will help her through anything, even when she's a mermaid. I would normally put this in a separate chapter, but I'm going to ask: Are you guys avoiding reading my story because you guys hate Charlotte and she's not being mean to the girls or befriending them ? Because I feel that that isn't a good enough reason to not read. I feel that even if you are ready to give her a second chance, you can still at least try to understand that the guilt she had after season 2 was really and, despite being a fictional character, the person who played her showed something that the producer never showed: If Charlotte had a way to redeem herself and be REAL friends with the trio, which is all she ever really wanted but she didn't get it because she wasn't jealous or power hungry, it was because..**

**A. Cleo might have been nice, but all she wanted was the guy that SHE let go !**

**B. Maybe if Rikki had even made an attempt to actually be friends with her, or be nice in general, maybe Charlotte wouldn't had been thinking of using her powers against her like payback. **

**C. Emma was probably the only one who was ever truly nice to her. She wanted to be friends with her and help her control her powers, and if the other 2 had any sense, she could have had Nick make moon necklace for Charlotte and they ALL could have been friends.**

**D. Lewis, as much as you guys can disagree, also took part on how she went bad. If he had actually moved on and actually saw her, meaning not forgetting about her, for who she was , the whole thing might've not happen and, even if they were just friends, life could have been easier for all 5 of them.**

**E. They all, despite what you think, should have told Charlotte EVERYTHING the moment Cleo stole her diary, despite returning it, and Charlotte retaliating by stealing the video that showed that Gracie was a mermaid. In the whole situation, everyone should have learned that HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY! This all started with dishonesty and , as you saw the whole season 2, look what had happened!**

**So, as much as it will bother you, stop hating on her because it wasn't her fault from the start. It was Lewis and the Trios fault because, as reasons listed, the had hurt her feelings and what became of Charlotte was a result.**

**Tis is the reason she fits my motto: The Bullies Are The Bullied and The Bullied are The Bullies. The supposed ''good guys'' turned her into the ''bad guy'' and she is now the most hated ex-mermaid in the show, BECAUSE OF THEM!**

**Now, I'm done with my rant but I'll let you know that I will CONTINUE to write her story and, I WILL give her the happy ending she truly deserves. **

**READ AND REVIEW!**


	6. Explainations and Second Days at VHS

**Here's is the 5th official chapter. Now, I want to say that the poll is officially closed and thank you for your votes. Honestly, until I saw the increasing votes on my poll, I didn't think anyone, but my followers, were listening, or reading my story to be exact. But, now I know that some people do to read, no matter how much they hate Charlotte. It when Charlotte and Thomas get picked back up and her second day of school. Read and review! And no offense, but PLEASE BE NEW READERS!**

* * *

**Charlotte's POV**

To make it clear: Phil was not so taken with meeting Thomas. Key word : NOT!

Thomas and I were sitting outside the main entrance of the mall, right where Phil had dropped me off. A pile of grocery-filled boxes next us and I was holding a Pet Smarts bag of dog stuff and a book about pit bull terrier. We must have looked like an odd pair because anyone who passed us on the way in gave us a funny look. _What? Haven't you ever seen a girl and her dog before?,_ I thought. That reminds me. I reached into the bag and pulled out a black collar with tiny spikes sticking out and it had "PROTECTOR" on it.

''Hey Thomas, do you like it?" I asked as I showed him the collar.

WOOF!

Approved.

I took out some scissors and started to cut the chain off from around his neck. I didn't realize how tight it was until I heard a CLANG! and the chain fell off. The hard part came when Thomas started licking me.

"Alright, alright, I get it,'' I said as I stopped him from licking me, ''the leash was too tight on you.'' I put the chain in the bag and put the new collar on. And let me tell you, I swore he was posing afterward.

WOOF! WOOF!

''Your welcome,'' I said. While Thomas started to run around, I picked up the book I brought and started to read._ After all, since I own a pit, I might as well read up on it,_ I thought. I was halfway passed chapter one when I heard a...

BEEP! BEEP!

I looked up from my book and saw the school bus pull up. Thankfully, the bus was empty...except for Phil. Crap. How am I gonna explain Thomas to him. The bus stopped in front of me and the doors opened. Phil was looking at her, mischief in his eyes.

''Wow, I knew you were going to do some shopping, but I see you got busy.'' He flashed me his trademark grin as he walked off.

''What did you buy?" he asked. "Oh, just some groceries, but I put them in boxes so they'd be easy to carry,'' I said.

''Genius.''

He started picking up the boxes until he saw the book in my hand.

''Say, whatcha got there?" he asked as he snatched the book out of my grasp.

"You just move to California and your already thinking about getting a dog, and not a Chihuahua, a pit bull!'' As he started to flip through the pages, I saw a silhouette of Thomas walking behind him.

Crap. I've got to distract him. ''Well, since I live in such a good neighborhood, I was thinking 'Yeah, let's get a dog!' and pit bulls and protective and fun loving' '', she said as she rubbed the back of her neck. He gave the book back to me and started to pick up the boxes.

''Well, at least it's not a rat. Anyways, we should get this stuff on the bus before your parents get home,'' Phil said as started to pick up the boxes, he heard a growl.

''Was that your stomach?" he asked. I shook my head, until I realized that was the wrong thing to do. H turned around before I could even warn him and...

''AAAAAHHHHHH!''

* * *

**3rd POV **

Charlotte would like to say everything went well and Phil and Thomas were best friends.

But the opposite happened.

Long story short: Thomas jumped on Phil, causing him the fall on the ground and hit his head. Charlotte quickly put a leash on Thomas and hauled him onto the back of the bus, where he remained as she helped Phil and the boxes onto the bus and rode home.

At the moment, she had given him an ice pact to put on his head while Thomas was outside, sulking.

"That's the dog you've got!" Phil ranted, "well, I can't believe he attacked me! What did I ever do to him?"

"Well, I was sort of chased by bad guys and he saved my life. So, I took him in," Charlotte explained. Phil looked at her, got up, and started to leave.

"I should probably leave now," he said," put the groceries up and let him in when I leave, because you better have a good excuse to tell your mother why there's a dog in the house."

And she sometimes hated when people were right.

That evening, Annette nearly had a heart attack.

* * *

_After Phil left and she opened the boxes and put the groceries away, she finally let Thomas back in. "Alright, I told you there were some ground rules and I expect you to follow them._

_Rule 1#: You must obey my every command, and that goes for my mom, sometimes._

_Rule 2# : If you have to use the bathroom, not to talk to other dogs, but ONLY to use the bathroom, bark 3 times and stand at the door._

_Rule 3#: You do not chew on the furniture or anything that is human stuff or else my mom will want to throw you out._

_Rule 4#: You will NOT beg for food and only accept it when given to you._

_Rule 5#: You can't tackle anybody unless I introduce you and give you the all clear._

_Rule 6#: For Today and for a while , you must be nice to my mom, like getting the newspaper or something._

_Alright, do we have a deal?" she asked._

_WOOF!_

_Charlotte nodded. This should go well._

_By the time her mom got home, her and Thomas were sitting in the living room watching TV._

_"I'm home!" her mom yelled. Thomas ran to the door. Charlotte's eyes widened. She forgot about her explanation. She ran to the door and was surprised, in a bad way._

_Thomas was on top of her, licking her face off. _

_Suddenly, Charlotte said "Thomas! Rule 1#! Sit!" And like that, he got off of her and sat down. Annette use this as an opportunity to get up and looked at her. _

_''Charlotte, you've got some explaining to do."_

* * *

Thomas was put outside, again, after Charlotte explained what had happened. Well, her revised version of it, to spare Phil some trouble. Though Charlotte didn't find this a punishment, she had complete responsibility for the dog. Meaning, when she took him on walks, she pick up his little 'business' ; buy and feed him food, which might mean she needed a job; pay for his shots, which after a heated argument, Charlotte agreed to pay half the bill; and she must watch him 24/7, meaning that Charlotte had to take him to school, only a safe difference.

That night, while her mom was asleep, she let Thomas into the house and was quite comfortable with him sleeping by her feet. She stayed up all night on her computer looking for jobs that would hire her. After all, since she brought him in, she had to take care of him. But there were no jobs for hire. Sighing, she closed her laptop and set is aside as she went into a deep sleep.

* * *

_There was a full moon in the dark sky._

_But something in the sea was not as peaceful as it was thought to be._

_In a deep, dark cave at the bottom of the ocean, a voice was calling to her._

_''My, my, Charlotte, you've been a naughty girl haven't you. But no worries, I can excuse your crimes, for they were never really your fault. Let me show you what I can do, in honor of my special guest.''_

_suddenly, images passed her until she saw a vision._

_Rikki, Cleo and Emma and their boyfriends were at the beach. While their boyfriends were lying against the rocks, the girls were in their bikinis, looking at the water as if they were waiting for something. _

_Or someone._

_''Where is she?" Rikki asked as she looked at her watch. _

_''C'mon, Rikki, she said she was going to be late. Her mom wanted her to do something and it was taking longer than usual,'' Emma reassured her friend. _

_''Alright , but if she's not here in a few minutes, we're going on without her,'' Rikki said._

_"Hey!" _

_The girls turned around and saw Charlotte running towards them, wearing a white bikini with red, black and blue strips on it._

_ When she got to them she said ''Sorry I'm late. I had no idea that my mom wanted me to carry the fish to the resturant. I swear trying to avoid touching water and running an errand at the same time is hard.'' Cleo hugged her friend. _

_''Don't worry, we waited for you. Now come on!_

_ As the girls waved to the boys, Charlotte knew that Lewis and Cleo were together, but she felt as if he was looking at her._

_Then, all 4 girls dived into the water, where they changed into mermaids and swam the sea._

_Then, the vision ended and went back to the cave. _

_The voice said ''Well, isn't that a pleasant memory. Oh dear, I've seem to have forgotten, that never happened. But it would be nice for it to be, wouldn't it. Your wish to be friends with the legendary mermaids of Mako Island and to belong somewhere is so great that it's like a memory. But don't worry dear. When the time comes, I can make it possible. It would be like you never did anything to them._

_''Now wake up. Your dog is washing your face with his tongue .''_

_The cave disappears and everything fades to black..._

* * *

Charlotte woke up to find that Thomas was indeed licking her.

''O.k., o.k., I'm up,'' she said as Thomas got off of her. She looked at her clock. 5:30am. Thomas woke her up an hour early.

''Well, at least I can get things done faster,'' she muttered as she got up. She went to the bathroom, took a shower, did her morning ritual, and came out to pull out her school clothes which consisted of a red satin camisole top, a denim acid wash skater shirt, red all-star converse, a Swarovski slake crystal bracelet, and she let her hair down, covering it with a black beanie. After putting the attire on, she saw Thomas looking at her, with his leash in his mouth.

''Oh, you want to go for a walk?"

Thomas gave a soft bark.

''Alright,'' she said as she put the leash on him. Grabbing her satchel, for when she needed it, she and Thomas left the house.

By the time they got back, her mom's car was gone. '

'Well, Thomas,'' she said to him,'' this is my life.'' After taking his leash off, she washed her hands and made herself cinnamon toast with eggs and gave some bacon to Thomas.

''Rule 4# : Accept food only when given to you, no begging,'' she said to him. But she was sure he didn't hear her, since he was too busy eating. A few minutes later, after she threw her breakfast away she heard the bus.

BEEP! BEEP!

Charlotte quickly grabbed her satchel and raced to the door, only to find Thomas there, leash in his mouth. '

'Listen, I have to go! I'll see you later.'' Thomas moved out of the way as Charlotte ran outside to the bus.

As she got on, Phil asked ''Did she take the news well?"

''Sort of, but I hold full responsibility for him if he does anything bad,'' she said as she sat down. Phil laughed and the bus took off.

* * *

**Back at the house...**

Thomas watched as the door closed, he opened the back door with his paw and went into backyard. Though there was a medium size pool, there was also grassy part near wooden fence. He dropped the leash for a moment and began to dig a whole. When it was big enough, he grabbed the leash and squeezed through the hole perfectly. When he saw the bus pass, with the leash in his mouth, he started running after it. Thomas managed run up to the side of the bus , where a few kids spotted him.

* * *

**On the bus...**

''Look! A dog!'' someone shouted from the side of the bus. Charlotte's eyes widened and went to the other side to see what it was. Though she was hoped that it wasn't Thomas, she was wrong.

If Thomas was smiling, he definitely was happy when the bus stopped. As Thomas entered the bus, he gave Phil a low growl before he sat next to Charlotte, who was a mixture of surprise and furious.

''What were you thinking? Did you want to get run over?!" she exclaimed.

But he still smiled at her. Charlotte sighed.

''Keep going, it's too late to tack him back,'' she said to Phil. He grunted and continued the ride.

* * *

**Valencia High**

Once everybody got off the bus, Charlotte tied Thomas to the nearest tree. '

'Alright, I'll be in the building,'' she pointed to the school,'' for a while. But when I came out, we're going to have lunch for a few minutes. Then, I' leave and comeback to go home. Understand?"

WOOF!

Charlotte smiled and went to school.

The commotion Thomas started had spread through the school. Now, everyone who saw Charlotte asked

''Where did your dog?"

"Does he always follow you to school?" and, her personal favorite,

"Where did you get him?"

It seemed like Thomas ran after the bus on purpose. And it didn't get any better during her classes. During her classes, Thomas would barked for a hour until one of the teachers sent her outside to deal with him.

RRRRRRIIINNNGGGG!

Lunch.

Charlotte could finally be with Thomas. As she was heading outside, she bumped into someone. ''I'm so sorry-'' Charlotte looked to see who she bumped into. Alaine. And behind her were her friends.

''Sorry, Alaine, I was trying to get to my dog-''

"Wait? That's your dog that's about to be taken by animal control ? If I were you, I would stop them,'' Alaine said as she pointed to the door. I didn't have time to thank her as I was rushing to Thomas. There was Thomas, but no animal control._ She lied to me_, she thought as she walked towards Thomas.

The two eat in silence, Charlotte eating half of her sandwich while Thomas ate the other half. ''Do you think I'm a good owner to you?" she asked Thomas.

WOOF!

She took that as a yes.

Then, the bell rung again.

''Well, Thomas, I've gotta go. I'll see you in a few hours.'' As she got up, Charlotte felt a wave of energy hit her.

_''Such an awful thing for her to do, huh. Make you think that your pet was being taken away. Just say the word and I'll fix it.''_

WOOF!

Charlotte stumbled back. Who was that voice and why was it talking to her? She looked at Thomas, who was looking at her strangely. Shaking it off, she went back into the school, feeling a bit uneasy.

* * *

**End of the day...**

As school ended, Charlotte went and untied Thomas.

"You've had a change in heart lately,'' she said as she untied him,'' you spared me your barking for the rest of the day and now your acting as if there's a problem.'' When she untied him, he started to bark. She looked behind her to see a woman standing behind her. Her hair was light brown and her eyes were emerald green. She was wearing a blouse and some jeans that looked GREAT with the high heels she was wearing.

''Thomas, it's Rule 5#,'' she said to him,'' this is my music teacher, Miss Analies.''

Miss Analies was her music teacher and a sweet lady. ''Charlotte, it was good thing I could catch you, I was just wondering if you're joining choir?" she asked. Charlotte nodded. ''Well, at the auditions, you and all the others must wear a black shirts. Only solid black.''

''O.k., I'll see you on Friday,'' Charlotte said and turned to Thomas, ''Come on boy! By Miss A.''

With that, the two got on the bus and went home.

* * *

By the time they got back, Charlotte found the whole that Thomas dug and covered it up before her mom found it. She played fetch with Thomas for an hour before she retired up to her room and doing her homework.

''I'm home,'' her mom said as she stuck her head through her doorway.

Charlotte was on her computer again, looking for a job. ''What's up?" her mom asked. ''Nothing much, just job searching,'' Charlotte said, not looking from her computer. ''Well... I guess I was a little harsh when I gave you full responsibility of Thomas, so, though everything else stays the same, I'll pay full for the shots.'' ''O.k.,'' Charlotte said, still looking at the computer screen. She didn't look slightly interested. ''Alright, I brought pizza if you want it,'' her mom said. When Charlotte didn't answer, she left.

The moment the door closed, Charlotte did a quick, silent happy dance. Though she still had to pay for everything else, she was glad to avoid paying for shots.

* * *

**That night...**

While Charlotte was asleep and Thomas was on the floor, something murky was happening in the bathroom. Something dark rose up from the bathtub drain. It was completely made up of water, only it was black. The water-like creature had vicious eyes and fangs dripping water. It slowly opened the opened the door that led to the bedroom. As it levitated over the bed, it looked down at Charlotte, who was peacefully asleep. She had no idea she was being watched. But she would later. There was a glow coming from it's eyes as it scanned her body, almost as if it was looking for something.

Grrrrrr...

It turned and saw Thomas staring at him menacingly, as if to say

''Do something. Try it, I dare you.''

The snake tentacle immediately retreated, closing the door and going back down the drain. But Charlotte didn't hear it. It was like nothing ever happened. But to Thomas, something did happen, and he spent all night watching Charlotte, scaring away anything that threatened to come near her.

* * *

**Alright, this is the end to this _long_ chapter. You've got to admit, Thomas is doing his job and and doing great at it. Do you know any other dog that would go through great lengths to protect their owners ? And what's up with the _voice_? First, the dream, then the sudden message it sent to Charlotte, and now an evil snake-like water tentacle paid her a visit ? Wow, what is going on and what the hell does Charlotte have anything to do with it? The next chapter is the choir auditions and I'll have to skip the whole school thing just to seek the anticipation.**

**Read and Review!**


	7. Choir Wins and The Voice

**Alright, this is a new chapter ( I've stopped counting) and as you can see in the title. So, just in case some of you were wondering when all this takes place, it's in the middle of August, since she's just moving away from Atlanta, Georgia ( my hometown is in Riverdale!) And the reasons for the strange stuff is happening to Charlotte so quickly... well, that will be explained later!**

* * *

**Friday morning...**

BEEP! BEEP! BEE-

SMACK!

Charlotte hit her alarm clock and got out of bed. She had dried slobber coming down her mouth, her eyes were droopy, in a need-for-energy kind of way, and her hair was all over the place. The other night, she had finally pieced together a song that she could sing at choir auditions. She based it on her experience since Australia and her need, no, her _want_, to be normal. It really needed some work the other night and she was up until 12 in the morning when it was finally done. As she got out of bed, she immediately stumbled to the floor. _Ouch_, she thought as she got up. She looked to see it was Thomas, who was too deep in a sleep that he didn't notice or feel her trip over him.

''Dumb dog,'' she muttered as she went into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, she came back and put on her outfit for school and choir auditions : a black off-the-shoulder stretch-bandage top, a Forever New Bella flower-print prom skirt, and leather boots. She put her hair in a ponytail after she curled it up. Thomas was up as well, despite that she was still mad at him. All last night, he was staring at her and the one time he did do something, he ruined her papers, chewing it all up. The two ate breakfast in silence, by meaning her giving him a glare and not giving him bacon.

BEEP! BEEP!

The bus came a few minutes later and, much to Phil's displeasure, she let Thomas get on the bus with her. People have started to get used to Thomas on the bus, but she let some people take pictures of him and/or give him treats occasionally.

* * *

**Fast forward to choir auditions...**

The school day went by very fast. So fast that she didn't realize that it was time for choir auditions until Miss Analies spoke up at the auditorium.

''Welcome, students, to the Valencia High Theatre where you will be auditioning for the Valencia High School Choir,'' she said with a melodramatic voice,'' with everyone here, since there are 100 of you and only 50 of you will be selected, there will be two groups sorted by gender. Now, girls move to the left of the theatre and boys move to the right. Now!"

Everybody quickly moved to different sides, and to Charlotte's discomfort, she ended up sitting next to Alaine. She was wearing a black dress and her hair was in a baseball cap. She wanted to say something to her, but it wasn't worth it.

''Good, now I'll start with the girls. First up: Charlotte Watsford.''

* * *

**Charlotte's POV**

Nervously, I got up and walked onto the stage. I looked at the crowd. Sure, I had no problem getting on top of a cliff and paint the view, but getting in front of people and singing was different. Their eyes were on me and I was slightly beginning to sweat .

_Wow, so this is what stage fright feels like,_ I thought.

''State your full name, the song you'll be singing, and the background,'' Miss Analies said.

As I gave the music sheets to the band members to play, I looked out at the audience.

''My name is Charlotte Elizabeth Watsford and I will be singing a song I wrote called 'Help Me Find My Way'. This is based on an experience I had a while back, based on the fact that I wanted to be special. But, after learning the hard way, I learned that I'm okay being ordinary, but I still need help finding my way,'' I said, feeling a boulder-like weight lift off me.

Though they won't know that I was a mermaid, they can at least see me in a somewhat different perspective.

Miss Analies nodded and motioned me to begin. I did a silent count to the band and the music began.

_(Guitar and piano begins to play)_

I took a deep breath and began to sing.

_I don't understand_

_who I really am_

_I can't keep going on_

_round and round again_

_I've traveled so far_

_without looking back_

_But something's missing_

_something's just not right_

I took another breathe and began to sing the chorus.

_Chorus:_

_Where do I go_

_where do I stand_

_I feel like a lost child_

_with no hands_

_I am so unsure_

_so far from secure_

_I need you to help me find_

_help me find my way_

_( Ooohh haa.. ohhh yeah...Ohhhhhhh)_

The audience was beginning to way side to side, even Alaine and Miss Analies.

_Go slow_

_things take time _

_That's what they always say_

_(t__hat's what they always say)_

___Sometimes, it gets way too rough_

___you just wanna hide away_

___For all the times_

___I break down and cry_

___Something's missing_

___something's just not right_

_Chorus:_

_Where do I go_

_where do I stand_

_I feel like a lost child_

_with no hands_

_I am so unsure_

_so far from secure_

_I need you to help me find_

_help me find my way_

I saw everybody silently dancing and, feeling a little giddy-ish, I started to add a little soul into it. I let my ponytail down, letting my curly hair fall down to my shoulders and to the middle of her back. **(Yep, that's how long she let her hair grow!)**

_Help me find my way _

_oh baby  
_

_Gonna stay strong_

_yeah gonna move on  
_

_With my life_

_that's what I'm gonna do_

_... oh..._

I started to tone it down a little, almost like it was for a final finally.

Chorus:  
_Where do I go_

_where do I stand_

_I feel like a lost child_

_with no hand_

_I am so unsure_

_so far from secure_

_I need you to help me find_

_help me find my waaay... _

I brought my voice back up again.

_I feel like a lost child _

_with no hand_

_I am so unsure_

_and far from secure_

_I need you to help me find_

_help me find my way._

_Where do I stand_

_I feel like a lost child_

_with no hand_

_I am so unsure_

_and far from secure,_

_I need you to help me find_

_help me find my way..._

The song ended with the last guitar note and everything fell silent.

* * *

**3rd POV**

The whole room was silent. Charlotte shut her eyes tightly. To be honest, this was the _very_ first time she ever sung at all, unless you would count the times she would sing along with her late grandmother, Gracie Watsford.

Suddenly, the auditorium bursted into applause. She opened her eyes to see almost everyone standing up and giving her what seemed to be a standing ovation, and if she listened carefully, the boys were whistling at her.

Miss Analies got up after quieting the students and said ''Though I do not normally do this so quickly, it seems that I have 49 girls left to accept. Congratulations, Charlotte, welcome to the Valencia Choir!''

Charlotte covered her mouth to avoid screaming. She did it. She got into the choir. Oh, her mom was going to pester her to death when she finds out.

* * *

After the auditions were over, Charlotte was changing outfits in one of the stalls in the girls' bathroom when she heard someone come in and slam the door. She quickly gathered her stuff and stood on top of the toilet. She wasn't much of an ease dropper, or at least the new Charlotte wasn't, but making herself known would make the situation awkward or worse.

''I can't believe you let THAT girl show you out like that, Alaine, and everyone here knows your the best!'' a feminine voice said. Charlotte looked through the crack in the stall's door and saw a middle-aged woman yelling at Alaine, who looked terrified, though she did her best to not let it show.

''Mom, I didn't know she could sing like that! Besides, she's been her for what, a week?'' Alaine defended herself. Charlotte closed her eyes as quick as she could because she knew what was happening.

SLAP!

She opened her eyes again and saw Alaine holding her cheek.

''Don't talk back to me, little girl! And I'll have you know, not only did she just get recognition for her voice, she has gotten recognition for her dog! Didn't I tell you to call animal control on that beast?" Charlotte did her best not to gasp. That was her?

''I did, but they were busy," Alaine said.

''Well, try harder next time.'' With that, her mom grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her out.

SLAM!

Charlotte sat there, not moving. After what she had just witnessed, she had one question on her mind: Were they talking about her?

* * *

When she finally managed to leave the bathroom, she went outside and saw Phil standing beside his bus. She quickly untied Thomas and went to him.

''Hey, I hear we have a new member of the choir. Congrats,'' he said.

''What are you doing here,'' she asked him. ''Easy, it's still daylight and I figured I could take you to Paradise as a reward,'' he said.

''Thanks, but I want to try a new beach. I looked it up and it's called Point Dume Nature Preserve at Point Dume State Beach. I want to check it out in case I want to paint there some time,'' she explained.

''Alright, I'll take you there tomorrow afternoon and we'll see?''

''Deal.''

They all got on the bus and he dropped them off at their house.

* * *

**Saturday afternoon...**

''I can't believe that mangy mutt followed us halfway to Paradise. No, he ran beside the bus and kept up for an hour!" Phil ranted as he was checking out the busted tire and the engine. He wasn't lying. Thomas was supposed to stay home for the day, but if that dog had any problems, it was staying away from Charlotte.

The Saturday morning started off normal: Charlotte got up, took a shower, did her morning ritual, picked out and put on a yellow, flower-print t-shirt and some red shorts, checked to see if her mom was home, ate breakfast, and was to rush out the door when she heard...

WOOF!

She turned to see Thomas looking at her expectantly, with his leash in his mouth. She had almost forgotten him, also forgetting to give him bacon. She knelt down and held Thomas's head.

''Thomas, you can't come with me. I'm still getting used to California and I can't take you everywhere.''

Thomas started to pout and whine.

''Don't worry, I'll take you for a walk when I get back, o.k.?"

WOOF!

''Alright, you know how to turn the TV on and I left you a few dog treats and dog food in your bowl in case you get hungry, o.k.?" She knew it was stupid to talk to him like a child, but it was start comforting to both of them.

Plus, she wasn't lying about the TV part. On one of his first nights home, he put his paw on the TV remote and Charlotte had to get up at 12 in the morning to find him in the living room watching Animal Planet with extreme intenseness.

WOOF!

BEEP! BEEP!

Charlotte got up and look through the window blinds to see that Phil was driving the public bus. She rushed out the door, yelling ''Bye Thomas!" as she ran off.

When she got onto the bus, Phil asked ''You sure you don't want to go to Paradise Cove?" She shook her head. ''I'm sure, plus I think I want to try my hand at surfing while I'm there,'' she said. ''Ah, you want to be in the water, eh? Well, I know the way, but traffic's bad for the original way, so we might have to drive passed Paradise on the way there,'' Phil explained. ''Well, I'll find something,'' she said with her infamous smirk. Phil laughed and started to drive off.

But little did they know... a certain pit bull terrier was running after them.

Long story short: The bus broke down, receiving two flat tires, a dead battery, and a broken engine. Charlotte was outside the bus with Thomas trying to get help. But there was no cars passing by and no phone reception.

''Well, there's no use. I think we could get help after I put my only spare tire on one of the wheels, but since the engine's down, we'll be walking,'' Phil said as the two were taking a break.

''I'm so sorry, Phil. I swore I didn't know he would get out and run after us like that,'' Charlotte said apologetically.

She was truly sorry. But she guessed that if Thomas has a perfect memory, he would have remembered the deal they made when they first met and felt that leaving her alone would break that deal. And that meant following her everywhere to make that deal possible to keep.

''Well, it's not your fault. I just got scared of _him_ easily and I let my pride get the better of me,'' he said,'' but for the mean time, your stuck with me.'' Thomas growled suddenly.

''Yeah, and so is the mutt too.'' Phil, probably to avoid being attacked, she suspected, went back onto the bus, claiming it was cooler in there.

He wasn't lying about that. The sun was so unbearing that it could give anyone sun burn. But the heat didn't bother Charlotte. Strangely, it was quite nice. She looked behind her to see Thomas his back, sunbathing. So, she decided to do the same. The feel of heat radiated over her skin, giving it a nice feel.

_Ahh_, she thought as she closed her eyes, _this feels nice. _

_..._Then a melody started to play.

_Would you come with me?_

_We'll swim the deep blue sea..._

_Aaaahhhhhh..._

Charlotte's eyes popped open as she rose from the ground. Thomas did too, only to see what his owner was doing.

_Come to me, Charlotte._

_You know you wish to be with me. Follow my voice you'll get what you'll receive._

The voice from before. It was loving again, like her grandmother's before she passed.

_Come to me Charlotte and receive your gift. Your companion can come too, for he'll be helpful along the way. _

_Just follow my voice._

Charlotte started walking away from the bus, but Phil noticed and honked his horn.

_Tell him that your going to get help. He'll be fine by himself._

Charlotte stopped and repeated _it_'s words as she yelled to Phil. ''I'm going to get help. You'll be fine on your own,'' she shouted, not looking at the bus behind her. Phil started to object, but that if Thomas was with her, she would be fine.

''Crazy girl...'' he muttered.

She began walking again, following the lovely voice that guided her. Thomas just walked beside her, not only to protect her... but because he heard the voice too.

* * *

**The Enchantment Song! It.. it... it was used on Charlotte! How was that even possible?! Well, I would LOVE to explain!**

**You see, while doing my research on H2O: Just Add Water Wikia/Wikipedia, while doing my research for this story( yes, I do research for my stories), I came upon the Siren Singing and The Enchantment Song and realized that since it said that it was _usually_ used on men and boys and was used to make them follow mermaids around, usually to their deaths, it would make since that a siren , female or male, could use this on the same gender. So I thought, let's make Charlotte go under the siren effect! And look how well it turned out!**

**Also, for Charlotte's singing voice, I choose...Kate Alexa! Hey, she sung the sings for season 2 ,so why not give her voice to Charlotte, only a little deeper range,since in this story, and in the future, she'll be singing and most of the songs from season 2, in this story, will be written by Charlotte herself! And think about it:  
Charlotte + ''Help Me Find My Way''+ redemption+ needing help to guide her = GENIUS! And what is going on with Alaine and her mom? I smell trouble!**

**Keep reading and reviewing!**

**P.S. What do you think of me having Charlotte dye her hair?**

**YOU CHOOSE! **

**Options: black or blue (like Demi Lovato)?**

**Say in review box! **

**BYE!**


	8. The Voice, Continued

**Hey! For those of you who are wondering what happened to Charlotte in the last chapter, if your smart, you've probably already figured it out, and for those who haven't, keep reading. So, I wrote this chapter to show you what happened after the voice leads her away, well I'll let you guys use your imaginations.**

* * *

Beep...Beep...Beep..

''She should be waking up anytime soon,'' a male, gruff voice said, ''miss, I understand your worried, but she's in the best care possible.''

''I don't care!'' a female, panicked voice exclaimed,'' that's _my_ daughter that was found on some woman's doorstep! _My _daughter that hasn't waken up in_ 2_ days! _My _daughter tat could be dead for all I know!"

WOOF!

''Get that dog out of here! He's been here long enough. My nurses can't go near her because the dog won't let them and his barks are scaring the patients!" the male voice said.

''I brought him here because he's been with her and could wake her up!" the female voice said.

WOOF!

''I said get him OUT!"

Grrrrrr...

Thomas lifted his upper body on the bed and gave a loud bark.

Grrrrrr...WOOF!

Charlotte's eyes popped wide open as she jerked her body up and looked around for her dog.

''Thomas, THOMAS! Where are you?!'' she screamed as she tried to get out of her bed. She turned to see Thomas on her bed and squealed ''Thomas!'' as she hugged him.

''See, I told you he would help,'' the female, yet familiar voice said.

Charlotte looked up to see her mother, her face tear-stained and smiling at her. Annette rushed up and hugged her, squeezing the life out of her.

''Oh honey, you have no idea how much you scared me to death!"

Charlotte was confused. Why was her mom scared? She looked at her and said ''Mom, I'm fine. I was lying on the grass with Thomas while the bus was broke down.''

Annette gave her daughter a complex look. ''Oh that bus driver drugged you,'' she said,'' I swear that when I get my hands on that fat weasel...''

Her mom was about to go on a stream of curses until the same gruff, male voice said ''Excuse me, but perhaps I can be an assistance.'' Charlotte looked up to see a light-skinned man with glasses and a white coat was looking at them. He came up and sat in front of her, pulled out a small flashlight, and examined her eyes.

"Personally, I think she's suffering from a small case of amnesia.. I bet the man who came in here earlier was telling the truth. So tell me, what's the last thing you remember?" Charlotte started to answer when the _voice _came back into her head.

_Tell him you and the dog went to get help._

''Thomas and I went to go find help for the bus,'' she said.

The man stopped examining her eyes and looked at her. ''Well, I heard that from the bus driver, but what happened before that, like how you started your day."

''Well, I took a shower, did my morning ritual-''

''Which consists of?" he asked.

"Well, I take a morning shower, and afterwards, I wash my face, brush my teeth, put on deodorant, blow dry my hair, and...'' she trailed off. The last thing she always did was something that she was not proud of and didn't like to tell people, especially strangers.

''Miss, please tell me the last thing you do?" he asked again.

Charlotte sighed and took a breath.

"And I take 2 pill of antidepressants.'' She did it. She old a complete stranger that she took 'happy pills'' to get through the day. After the hospital she'd been let out of the hospital in Georgia, the doctors had prescribe meds for her to take. They said it would help her feel better.

She expected him to have a reaction, but instead he wrote some thing down on a clipboard he had and said ''Alright, what else?"

Charlotte was taken back. She had not expected him to do that. ''I pick out my clothes and do my hair. That day, I was about to go outside when my dog, Thomas, stopped me. He wanted to come and I said no. Then, I heard the bus and left the house. I told Phil, the bus driver, that I wanted to go to a new beach and maybe try surfing.''

"So,'' the man said, '' since you two are on a first name basis, can you care to tell me how you both know each other?"

Charlotte slightly blushed in embarrassment. Her mom still didn't know what she really did that Sunday. And having a stranger ask her in front of Annette was not the best way to tell.

''The day I moved here, my mom had to go to work, long story, and I spent the day unpacking everything, on my own free will,'' she added for extra measure and to not get her mom in trouble, '' when I was done, I got dressed in some nicer clothes and got on a public bus, which is how I met Phil. He was the driver. He went out of his way and took me to Malibu.''

Annette was furious. Well, her skin was red in anger, but it lessened as she continued.

''He left me there, but he came back for me at 9pm and I went on with my night. The next day, I found out that he was by school bus driver.''

''Wait a minute, you told me you were only stuck at home all day! You lied to me?" her mom asked, truly hurt.

Charlotte turned to her mom. ''No, it was just that you were busy and I got everything done. So, I decided to take an adventure.''

Her mom gave her a look that said that they would be talking about this later.

''So let me get this straight. You know the bus driver because he takes you places our of his jurisdiction?" he asked sternly. She couldn't blame him. Anyone who would have heard this would scream ''pedophile'' in their eyes.

But Charlotte could tell when she couldn't trust someone and when she could, and she felt that Phil was someone she could trust. Her senses were better than that.

''He was only being nice to me and taking me to places outside Valencia was his way of showing generosity.''

The man got up and went to the door saying ''Well, I tell the nurses to keep your daughter stay overnight for observation and make sure the police didn't arrest _Phil_,'' he put the emphases around his name, '' for something he didn't do. I'll talk to you tomorrow morning.'' he looked at his clipboard and walked out of the room as Annette yelled '' Thank you Dr. Hartley!''

_Wait a minute_, Charlotte thought, _doctor? nurses? observation? This can't be..._

But it was too late to confirm.

''I'm in a hospital, aren't I?'' she asked.

She already knew the answer.

Everything was white. The walls were white. The lights were white. The machines next to her were white. The beds were white. Heck, the gown she was wearing was white! Charlotte quickly noticed the IVs in her right arm and resisting the urge to pull them off. It's not that she hated hospitals. After all, that where people who were really sick or severely injured went, and most likely came out great form.

It's just that she hated being a patient in one.

''Well, what did you expect,'' her mother said as she looked at her daughter sternly, ''I was about to end my shift at work when I received a phone call from the hospital, the hospital of all places, saying that a woman found you on her doorstep, soaking wet and unconscious... oh, its Georgia all over again!''

Suddenly, Charlotte felt something stir inside of her, it was familiar, almost like a... like a flame. A fiery burst of sudden energy raging inside of her like a wildfire. Suddenly, she heard a voice pop into her head.

_Let it go..._

SLAP!

She almost didn't realize that she slapped her mom until she saw Annette step back, hold her right cheek that was beginning to form a red handprint.

But, at the moment, she could care less. Annette looked at her daughter shockingly. She had never known that Charlotte would react so violently.

She pointed her finger at her mother accusingly. ''Don't you EVER bring that up! This is NOTHING like what happened in Georgia! I didn't try to kill myself then and I certainly wasn't trying to kill myself now! I might remember something from, what?, 2 or 3 days ago, but if you even THINK that I'm some innocent depressed little girl, oh so help me I'll-''

WOOF!

* * *

**Thomas's POV (written in 3rd person)**

Even if humans couldn't understand him, he could understand them quite well.

He understood the difference between a pet and a stray, love and abuse, neglect and abandonment. He understood it all, for as a neglected dog that was used to protect an abandon junkyard, he hated to understand humans. While as a pet, you could be cuddled and spoiled while others could be beaten or somewhere between.

The day he ran away from that junkyard was the best day of his life, for not only was he free from the abuse, he was taken in by the nicest person he ever met.

Charlotte.

_**Flashback:**_

_It was a hot day in Sammy's ''Forbidden'', as others would call it, Junkyard. Beyond the locked metal gates were piles of broken cars, glasses, trash, and much more garbage that would have had much potential to fill the ozone land. Sammy himself, an oversized guy that reeked of bad whopper burgers and gas, was watching his small TV in a small shack by the yard. _

_Tied up by a post, was a big, brown pit bull terrier who was ripping a badly wrapped bandage off his paw. It healed on its own, but it was somewhat hard to lick on. The dog was tied up in front of the gate, watching for 'intruders' who wanted to steal from the yard, but those 'intruders' were really middle school kids looking for a spot to hang out. The dog didn't want to cause any trouble himself, in fact he was hopping that a small little girl that would come by, brought him food. Sammy fed him mostly bones and a few meat scraps, but he knew how to make them last._

_Suddenly, a few guys and girls, probably college students, walked past the gates. The guys walked past him but the girls stopped and looked at him._

_''Aw, look at the cute doggy,'' a blond girl cooed. She reached into her bag, pulled out a treat, and threw it to the dog through the holes of the metal gate. the dog happily caught it in his mouth and ate it. Then, he walked to the girl as far as he could, since he was tied up, and licked her fingers that were on his side of the gate._

_''Aw, that's so cute,'' another girl said as she started to rub him around the ear, much to the dog's enjoyment._

_One of the guys saw this and said ''You do know whose dog that is, right?"_

_The girls looked at him. ''Who?"_

_''That's Sammy Biggens's dog, Mutt.'' Yep, that was the dog's name. Since his owner didn't bother to name him, he called him Mutt, when he just happens to actually be a purebred._

_''He's supposed to be a big bad dog that keeps people from entering the junkyard. But he must've died because this dog's WAY to soft to be Mutt,'' the guy said._

_ But the girls rolled their eyes and continued to pet Mutt. _

_''No way, Hetchet. Dogs can be nice when they want to, like this little guy. It's the owners that give their dogs a bad name. Isn't that right?" she asked the dog._

_WOOF!_

_''See?" he blond said as she started to rub Mutt again,'' he's not bad. He's just a softie, aren't ya?"_

_WOOF!_

_SLAM! _

_They all turned to see the door to the small shack opened. A pale guy who looked like a heavy-weight sumo-wrestler came from the shock. _

_He had a 5 o'clock shadow and messy hair. His eyes were pure black and his teeth were yellow. He wore a WAY-too-small white tank top and over-sized baggy shorts. His red stomach was sticking out and his white feet were swollen. Sammy Biggens._

_When he saw the students touching the dog, and Mutt not doing a thing about it...he lost it._

_''WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MUTT?!" he yelled as he wobbled towards them. The guys were quick to defend the girls._

_''Listen, sir, we were just walking by and the girls saw the dog and-''_

_''I DON'T CARE IF YOU SAW AN ELEPHANT! LEAVE MY PROPERTY AT ONCE OR I'LL...I'LL...'' Sammy trailed off._

_Then, he grabbed an empty beer bottle and swung it at the gate, the glass braking and hitting the girls._

_The blond received a nasty cut on her leg. But to Mutt, he saw red._

_WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!_

_He struggled to get out of his leash, but the metal-wired collar on his neck wasn't helping either. Sammy turned to him and started to kick him._

_''STUPID DOG! CAN'T EVEN PROTECT MY PROPERTY, YOU LITTLE MUTT!'' _

_The others tried to stop him, but he wasn't going to give the dog any mercy._

_Then, the blond grabbed shard and, what was probably a one-in-a-million hit, managed to throw the shard through the rope, the shard cutting through it successfully._

_The dog didn't hesitate to escape through a hole in the gate and run._

_But before he ran for freedom, he licked the blond girl on the face and barked twice._

_Thank You._

_The girl smiled in understanding and watched as the dog escaped with his life..._

**_Flashback Ends..._**

That day, he found himself at a mall and was digging through the trash until he saw _her._

The girl was running for a few minutes until she saw him. She wasn't skinny, but she wasn't big either. She had a average person's shape, red hair, and brown eyes **( did I get her eyes right?)** When he saw those guys after her, she made a dash for it and he, well.. he bite the leader in a place that should be untouched.

After the guys ran away, he greeted the girl and the rest was history for him. Though she wanted him to protect her, their bond had grown a lot since that fateful day. But something was wrong.

He kept hearing a voice when he was with her and, to his surprise, she heard it too. But to his other surprise, no one else did. He could feel its presence and he never like it.

The night that snake-tentacle came, he was on his guard. It never came back, but he still remembered it, like what happened a few days ago.

He remembered the look in her eyes when they were walking from the bus...

He remembered how they walked for so long that he knew that her feet had to be hurting...

He remembered her walking to a cliff point and walking down the stairs built along the cliff side that lead to the beach...

He remembered being lead to a isolated part of the beach...

He remembered how she asked him to sniff along the boulders and cliff sides until a hidden opening appeared...

He remembered how the two walked in and entered a hidden cave with a pool in it...

He remembered how she jumped in it as the pool started to glow and bubble...

He remembered how she just walked out of the pool and they ended up back on the beach and left...

He remembered they ended up in some neighborhood and she rung the doorbell outside someone's house until she passed out...

He remembered sneaking into the ambulance that took his owner away...

But most of all, he remembered the _voice _that gave her every single command and he couldn't snap her out of it.

As he saw the violent exchange that appeared between his owner and her mother, he felt _its_ presence inside of her.

He barked as loud and hard as he could, hoping to bring the true presence of his loving owner back.

WOOF!

* * *

**3rd POV (Back at the hospital with Charlotte and her mom)**

WOOF!

Charlotte's head jerked up and Annette saw this.

Her daughter looked like she had just come out of a trance...like she had no idea that she just hit her own mother. She was angry at one moment, and then she was calm.

''Mom, why are you holding your cheek?" she asked her mother curiously. Annette saw this and decided to lie.

''Oh, I was leaving the bathroom and I accidently hit the door. I'll have a nurse look at me later. You know, why don't you go to sleep and I'll go get something to eat and come back, o.k.?"

Charlotte looked at her mother suspiciously, but nodded as she laid back down on her bed.

Annette left the room and headed to the clinic. _I'm gonna have to keep an eye on her_, she thought.

* * *

Charlotte didn't realize that she fell asleep until her mom closed the door. She knew her mom was lying, but she didn't want to push it. She didn't want to know.

To be honest, she doesn't remember what happened the last couple of days, except lying in the sun by Thomas. She could feel That Thomas was fully on the bed, probably curled up in a ball and lying on her feet, asleep.

* * *

The moon was starting to rise over Paradise Cove.

_Would you come with me?_

But it wasn't just any moon. It was a full moon, glowing white in the sky, giving off an unknown blue aura.

_We'll swim the deep blue sea..._

Suddenly, the pure white moon started to turn red, giving off a menacing blood aura.

_Oooooohhhhhh..._ **(Think of Cleo's singing during the Siren Effect.)**

Laguna watched this from the outside patio of the café and turned to her family. Karen, Brendan, and her son-in-law, Jonathan, were huddled up together, their faces stunned in fear. Karen stepped up and was the first to speak.

''So, it's happened, isn't it? She's rising again, and right when we were _so_ sure we found the right moon pool?"

Laguna shook her head.

''No, it just hurt our situation drastically. Not only have we found the wrong pool, but.. she's found her. And to make it worst, she's used the Enchantment Song on her and has had her undergo the transformation with success. Who knows what powers she has given her,'' Laguna said as she looked at the red moon.

''But, for hundreds of years, you , and most of your offsprings, including me, have searched for potential people who could be her reincarnations of Ane'lie for years, even when she was reborn as a man, but a teenager who could... I just don't want to even imagine the amount of control and power she has over her,'' Karen said as she hugged herself like she was out in the cold.

Laguna nodded. ''Yes, it's hard to think about, but we need to find her and at least give her some protection before _she _gets her next chance to control her. And if _she_ does and Ane's new body doesn't now her powers.. I swear to whoever or whatever made that comet hit earth... there will be consequences.''

Suddenly, Karen came up with an idea. ''Why don't you train her. After all, your the true bearer of the Original 3, and who knows how many more abilities you gained over the years. And that way, if she really is the true reincarnation, she's not only powerful, but she can defend herself against _her_,'' Karen suggested.

And Laguna couldn't agree more.

Just a simple charm or spell couldn't save her reborn friend from the dangers that was lurking below. So, training her friend's reincarnation was the beat way/option of protecting her and giving her a way of self-defense.

She made her final decision.

"Alright, we'll find her, bring her here, and train her. I will NOT lose her again!"

Karen nodded. She knew her mother's long past and would do anything to help her , even in the impossible, along with her current family.

Then, her husband stepped in.

''Alright, I get it. Find your mother's reincarnated mermaid or human or whatever, bring her around here, and save the girl from a doom that's destined to repeat itself. And what? Become legacies or something? We don't even know where she is. All we know is that she's back in what? Her 500th body is walking around somewhere, unknown about the damage it's about to do. Your mother's arch nemesis is rising from the ocean after a very,_very _long nap, and what else?''

He turned to his pregnant wife, ''Karen, what in the world makes you think that her reincarnation is a teenager that we're talking about? For all we know, the real person that_ she_ could be controlling is really Brendan and we're on a wild goose chase!"

Brendan looked at his stepfather accusingly. "Hey! I resent that!"

But Karen looked at her husband in amusement and there was a glint of mischief in her eyes. Oh no.

''Easy,'' she said as she was walking towards him, '' a teenager was the last one to look into Mother's eyes and receive a vision from her.''

Then Brendan joined in on the pursuit.

''And, the first one to put one back into gram's head, not only a vision, but memories, a lot of them, too.''

It was starting to dawn on Jonathan on who they were talking about and began to back away as he shook his head and muttered ''No, no...''

By the time he backed into a wall, they all cornered him.

''And,'' Laguna said as she finally joined in, '' she still has that lovely shade of red hair as I remember her having.''

Jonathan was shaking his head furiously, yelling ''No!''

Karen looked towards her son and mother, then looked towards her husband, with the smile of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, much to his horror.

''Mom? What was the name of that girl who came the café last week?'' she asked Laguna, with a hint of amusement.

Her mother answered in the _exact_ same tone. She pretended to rub her chin, as if she was thinking, and then said ''Ah, yes. Charlotte Watsford.''

They all looked at Jonathan like mad men and he was thinking one thing:_ We're doomed._

* * *

**MUAHAHAHAHA! I'm EVIL! I bet you did NOT see that coming! And I think I can ask the BIG question that all of you are asking: WHAT THE FREAKIN HELL IS GOING ON?!**

**Well, keep reading! Cause we are going deeper into, not only the mystery of the _ voice _and Laguna's family, but what was truly going on after Charlotte left Australia! **

**HAHA! I ALWAYS KNEW SHE COULDN'T BE NO ORDINARY GIRL! ESPECAILLY WITH A EX-MERMAID FOR A GRANDMOTHER!**

**P.S. THIS MONTH IS MY 14TH BIRTHDAY! SO FEEL FREE TO WRITE ME SOMETHING AS A BIRTHDAY GIFT!**

******READ AND REVIEW!**


	9. Tryouts and Tails

******Hello my b-e-a-utiful readers ( saw what I did with Megan Nicole!) and I LOVE the reviews that I have gotten from my last chapter and if I gave it away, you would've read Thomas's POV, you would've guessed what happened to Charlotte! And I've hinted it since the beginning! Sigh... Maybe I shouldn't have told you that guys in the beginning that she would be a mermaid but...ENJOY! **

******P.S. I deleted the author's note since i didn't need it, so this is the 9th chapter.**

* * *

_The day Charlotte got out the hospital, a nurse had come into her room and brought in a bouquet of lilies._

_''These were addressed to you. But I don't know who sent them. There was no name or anything from whoever sent it, except a note,'' she said as she gave the flowers to Charlotte. Charlotte pulled a small note from inside the bouquet and read:_

**_I hope your feeling better. Softball tryout are tomorrow and you have choir practice at 12._**

_The was indeed no name on the note, but she couldn't help but shake the feeling that she knew who it was from and smiled._

_Charlotte turned to the nurse and thanked her as she left and her mom entered that room. Annette capped her hands together in admiration. _

_''Oh, honey, I knew that dress would look great on you! But did you have to add the sneakers? Your leaving the hospital, not a casual dress event!'' she said as she examined her daughter._

_Charlotte was wearing a simple white dress with light red ruffles at the bottom, her red hair was put up in a bun but she let her bangs almost cover her eyes. The only thing that didn't look formal was the Nike sneakers that she was wearing._

_Charlotte looked at herself. ''Um, maybe that's the point,'' she said._

_Annette ignored that and noticed the flowers in her daughter's hands. ""Who sent you those?"_

_Charlotte looked at them and shrugged. ''No idea. They just came. So, you ready to go?"_

_Annette nodded. ''Yeah. I'm feeling very... anxious to not have to come here again.''_

Probably just the flashbacks from Georgia,_ she thought._

_With that, the two left the room and exited the hospital. By the time the left, they were halfway home._

_Suddenly, Charlotte had to tell her mom something._

_''So, mom, how would you feel about me joining the school choir?"_

* * *

**Tuesday**

It was time for Charlotte to go back to school, much to her mom's protests. On her account, she could go to school but call Annette if something went wrong, which was unlikely.

Her morning went the same as usual. She got out of bed, took a shower, did her morning ritual, put on a cute outfit: khaki pants, a turquoise sleeveless chiffon with matching ballet flats, a blue watch and a turquoise bead bracelet. She put her hair up in a side ponytail using a black and blue scrunchie and took Thomas for a walk, or more like a run since he recently formed a hatred for her neighbor's cat.

But by the time the two returned, Charlotte smelled a whiff of cinnamon toast and oatmeal. Like curiosity killed the cat, she went into the kitchen and was surprised to see her mom cooking breakfast.

''Mom, shouldn't you be at work?" she asked her as she sat down at the table.

''Actually, John gave me a day off. So, I figured that I'd make us some breakfast and I'd drop you off at school,'' Annette said as she placed Charlotte's plate in front of her and started to eat her own.

''Oh, you don't have to drop me off. Phil- I mean, my bus driver is used to Thomas riding the bus with me,'' Charlotte said cautiously. She didn't know what her mom thought of Phil, but she didn't want to push it.

After a few moments of silence, Annette stopped eating and looked at her daughter.

''Um, sweetie, I just wanted to...apologize for how I acted in the hospital. I guess that I got scared of you being in the hospital again... worrying if you'd started to harm yourself...,'' Annette trailed off as she put her head down slightly.

Charlotte was confused, but decided to lie.

''I'm sorry... I guess I was just pretty tired.'' Though she wasn't sure about what her mom was apologizing for, she had a feeling that she shouldn't ask because she didn't want to know. So, she decided to change the subject.

''So, I'm trying out for the softball team today, so I hope you don't mind me coming home late?''

Annette looked up at her in surprise. ''But aren't you already in the choir?" she asked. After Charlotte told her mom about her joining choir, minus the bathroom incident, Annette was over the moon with question, like when her first performance was & etc., and a little hurt that she didn't tell her sooner.

''I know, but i wanted to get active and all...'' Charlotte said. As much as she wasn't insecure about her looks, she never told anyone about the verbal abuse that went down in Georgia about her weight, height, and size. Though she had no problem with her height, she wanted to be a little thinner. Not super model thin, but just thinner. Besides, she never told her mom about it since Annette had enough on her plate already. **( I just had to add this bit. This is for all the people/readers who hate Charlotte because of the way she looked on the show!)**

''Brilliant! Oh, I can't wait to see your first game and meet your little friends," her mom enthusiastically,'' I'm gonna need to bring a camera, some ports drinks and water for your teammates...''

''STOP! I'm JUST trying out , mom. I won't know for two weeks,'' Charlotte said, stopping her mom from stressing early. By the time they were done talking and finished eating, Charlotte let her mom drive her to school.

* * *

**At softball try-outs...**

The day went well for Charlotte. No news of her absence or her stay in the hospital spread through the school. But when she opened her locker, she found a note inside. It read:

**Hope your feeling up to try-outs. Coach Mildred is one of the best coaches this school has and one of the toughest. Good luck!**

Once again, no name. But she smiled to herself. Someone was going out of their way to make sure she was prepared for what lied ahead. And she was thankful for that.

She spent her lunch period with Thomas and the rest of the day went by as a breeze. Then, she was in the auditorium with the other 49 students that were selected by Miss Analies for choir practice. And not to her surprise, Alaine was there. She had always wanted to talk to her about what had happened in the bathroom a week ago, but she didn't want to push her and become her enemy.

So,Miss Analies had the girls do a solo, and the strangest thing happened. When Miss Analies pointed towards her for a solo, almost the exact moment she sung, the boys started to gather around her, staring at her in awe. But when Miss Ana, for short, blew the whistle, the boys went back to their seats, dazed.

Now, she was outside on a baseball field and, to her surprise and again, not so much, there were all girls and Alaine was among them.

They were all sitting on the bleachers, talking among themselves. Charlotte changed into dark blue and black performance running T-shirt, Nike woman's running shoes, neon stud yoga pants( for flexibility and easy to wear), and used her scrunchie to form a long, smooth ponytail that slung around her shoulder.

Then, a large, older-looking woman, probably in her late 30s or 40s, stood in front of them in a red track suit. All the girls stared at her.

''Alright, I am Coach Honey Mildred, but ONLY address me as Coach Mildred," she said, "I'm the coach of this year's new softball team, and I will say this once and only once: I demand respect and if I don't get that, or be taken seriously, then you can all get your make up and stuff and go home because I do NOT tolerate ignorance, disrespect, laziness, and excuses."

"I will be watching you during this one day trial. And for those who don't know why your are , and only, trying out for one day id because I want to test your limits, see as far as you ould go if this sport had your life on the line, and push you until your bones break, your hair's drenched from sweat, and your begging for water, and I won't give it to you until I see that you've earned it. Now, does anyone want to back out?"

Charlotte and the others watched as 9 girls left the bleachers.

Couch Mildred nodded. "Good. Now that we've got rid of our sore losers and butt scratchers, I'll have Alaine Williams and Dominique Kane lead you to the fields and start the drills. Girls?"

As everyone got off the benches and walked towards the field, Charlotte caught Alaine watching her for a moment before turning her head away. Once there, Alaine took 10 of the girls, including Charlotte, and a latino girl, Dominique, she assumed, got the rest.

"First things first, my name is Alain Williams and I'm the co-captain for this year's team, and this is my teammate/co-captain, Dominique Kane. We'll be the ones to see if you can handle this 'group' and can lead us to nationals. Now, I'm not saying that it's a possibility. I'm saying that it's a responsibility. We've never lose a game unless its raining or someone died. Understand?" Alaine asked.

Everyone nodded.

''Good. Now, Dominique will explain the drills." Alaine gestured to Dominique.

"Alright," Dominique said, "first, we're gonna have all of you do 20 laps around the field and then, we're gonna give you 20 jumping jacks and 15 sit ups. Of course, we're gonna have to give you a 5 minute break. I mean, this tryout might call for some parents down here to pick up their injured kids, but it won't kill anybody, and then were gonna to see what positions your good at on the field. What are you guys waiting for? TWENTY LAPS, NOW!"

The girls quickly started to run around the field. For some, it went an ease for them, for the rest, they were starting to regret leaving. Charlotte's stomach felt like it was about to burst if she didn't get any water. But she was far behind, and if she wanted to get on the team, she wasn't going down without a fight, even if she needed to stay hydrated!

After 20 laps, Alaine finally blew the whistle. All the girls quickly went to the bleachers, grasping for their water bottles. By the time Charlotte made it to her gym bag, she practically tore it apart as she found her water bottle and started to chug it down.

She was told to drink water regularly, but she's never felt the need to drink it so bad before. Guess she should have listened when her 6th grade science teacher told her class that everyone's body was made up of 80% of water.

Then, Alaine blew the whistle again, signaling the end of the first 5 minute break.

''Alright, you've had your break. Now, get your butts on the field and give me 20 jumping jack!" Dominique yelled.

Everybody quickly got on the field and started doing jumping jacks.

After that and doing the sit ups, much to the aching pain in Charlotte's sides, they finally got around to using he equipment.

''Alright, first, we're gonna start with the pitcher. We are going to see how well you throw. If your fast, we'll have you doing it again. If your slow, well, I think you know where you'll be sitting. I'll go first and show you how it's done," Alaine said as she stepped on the field.

After they put on their equipment, she got one of her knees at the pitching rubber and Dominique crouched down at the diamond, ready to catch it.

"Now, this is an easy way. You must have your body still and your shoulders stiff, so that when you throw the ball, you have resistance. Keep the leg you have up and keep it slightly bended so that it's not locked."

Alaine threw the ball in an underhand motion and threw it to Dominique, who caught it in her glove with ease and threw it back to her.

''Now, you have to throw it, throw it as hard as you can, but let the ball roll off your fingertips,'' Alaine said.

The two threw and passed the ball a couple of times until they called for volunteers.

''Alright, Charlotte, why don't you try first?"

Charlotte was caught by surprise. She didn't expect to be called on, but didn't have a choice. She got on the rubber and got in the same position as Alaine. She positioned herself exactly like Alaine instructed her and threw her first throw.

It wasn't as fast as she anticipated.

"You have to let the ball slip through your fingers. Keep your body still and your shoulders stiff or else your throw will come out sloppy," Alaine instructed.

Charlotte took a deep breathe and gave it another go. She winded her arm a few times before she let the ball fly swiftly through her fingers and threw it to Dominique.

But instead of the ball hitting her glove... it hit her stomach.

Dominique cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach. Everyone rushed to her and tried to see if she was okay.

Charlotte was quick to apologize. "I am so, so sorry, Dominique. It was accident! I swear! I didn't mean to!"

Dominique looked like she was intense pain. She was clutching her stomach and had tears falling from her eyes.

"Give her some space! Give her some space!" Coach Mildred exclaimed as she cut through the group of girls that surrounded Dominique.

After examining her, she told one of the girls to take the co-captain to the nurse's office.

After the girls left, the couch looked at all the girls. But specifically looked at Charlotte.

"Well, Miss Kane will be out for the rest of tryouts. But since we have some 'strong' girls going for the team,'' she looked at Charlotte menacingly, "I will have the honors of helping out with tryouts. This will be starting by everyone spending 2 hours practicing their pitching. Well, what are you standing around for? Move it!"

All the girls groaned and sent glares at Charlotte, who was looking miserable.

One again, she's caused problems for the group.

* * *

**After tryouts (Charlotte's POV)**

After tryouts were over, I was the only girl heading into the girls' locker room. The others didn't bother to take a shower and, personally, probably didn't want to be around me. I couldn't blame them. Like her, every part of her body was sore.

I'm now thinking that the reason the captions started right away with the equipment was so that Couch Mildred didn't have to come and do tryout herself. But I just had to injure one of them and now my arms are sore, my legs are stiff, my back is aching, and my feet.. well let's just say I'm making an effort to walk on them.

Couch Mildred was serious. After practicing our pitching, we all spent 3 hours doing speed and agility exercises. And since most of them were hard to do, we spent ANOTHER 3 hours perfecting them, plus 3 suicides for the girl who started to complain a lot.

I took my phone out to look at the time.

10:30pm.

Crap, I'm late. I didn't intend to be stuck in school overnight, but if i didn't take a shower and change, the school security guard ( yes, my school has one) would find me and call mom, who would already be mad at me for staying at school so late.

Once I got into the empty locker room, I immediately took off my tryout clothes, turned the water on in the shower and stepped in. And you would NOT believe how good hot water felt on me. Every muscle was getting sooth, my feet were hurting less and the rest of me felt great. No, I felt amazing. _Ahh,_ I thought,_this is nice._ As the hot water poured on my bare skin, i realized something I never took notice of:

There was no voice.

I should have known it was all in my head. I was just hallucinating.

* * *

**Unknown POV**

The clock went by. Unnoticed to Charlotte... she shouldn't have touched the water.

Tick...Tock...

23 hours has passes since she was conscious...

Tick...Tock...

Her gift is about to be received...

Tick...Tock...

... 10:58... 10:59... 11:00pm...

It has begun...

* * *

**Charlotte's POV**

I felt strange, but I brushed it off.

As I continued to wash myself, I dropped the bar of soap that I was using. As I bent down to pick it up, I wasn't ready for what was going to happen to me next.

The water started to cover me, not like a shower should. It was like it was building up and rising over my feet...

... then my legs...

... then my waist...

...then my stomach...

...then my neck...

... then my head...

...

"Ouch!"

As I fell to the cold, solid floor, I looked a at myself. I was so sure I must've bumped my head at first. But I found myself wearing a silver top... and looked down to see something that I thought I would never see again...

I had a tail.

* * *

**READ & REVIEW!**

**P.S. Did I get the softball part right?**


	10. STOP SOPA 2014!

Stop SOPA. SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Acts. In this case, all fanart will be deleted, all fan-pages, fanfics, fan made videos, etc. Please help stop SOPA.

copy this link and go to this site to join up : .gov/petition/stop-sopa-2014/q0Vkk0Zr

It ends: March 19,2014- to days after this post.


	11. Unexpected Calls and The Legend, Part 1

**NEW CHAPTER! Alright, I'll admit it. It was already straight forward on what was going to happen on the last chapter. But I admit, it's going to get more surprising during the rest of the story. So, I know it might give you a split second to guess, but remember when I stated, or if I stated it, that Charlotte won't be interacting with the trio from Australia? Well, I'm gonna to as a guess, let you hear a hint from me on who the 'special' guest is: since Charlotte is a mermaid, who is the most reliable person to help her?**

**P.S. It's not Thomas!**

**P.P.S WE FINALLY WON AGAINST SOPA! OVER 100,000 SIGNATURES!**

* * *

**3rd POV**

You would think that after a year, a year of being an average person, Charlotte would forget most of the simple things and lose most of her memories of past events, like birthdays or report cards.

But no! She just had to have her memory regained when she gets a tail! Rejuvenated, revived, back from the dead, and to make it worse, she quickly remembered one good thing she needed to do:

Get out of the water.

Since she fell, her dorsal fin was still in the shower, getting hot water over it. Charlotte tried to crawl and squirm away, but it was no use. She was stuck.

WOOF! WOOF!

She heard her dog's feet platter on the floor and turned to the door and saw a figure of Thomas using his paws to successfully open the door.

"Thomas!" Charlotte exclaimed in relief, thankful that it wasn't a stranger who came into the room. As Thomas came in, he looked at her, uh, form, and began to sniff around her tail.

Charlotte half expected him to try to take a bite out of it. Then, he came up to her face and started to rub his collar against her face. She didn't know how, but she had a feeling that trying to get her to grab it. So, she grabbed the collar tightly, and to be honest, she had no idea how strong Thomas was.

He managed to pull her to the farthest corner, making her invisible to anyone who came in. Then, he went to grab a towel and brought it back to her, which Charlotte accepted gratefully.

Then, something just popped up in her head.

"Thomas," she said hesitantly as she looked at the dog, "how did you get into the building?"

But before she could slap herself for asking such a stupid question, she heard the door open and a small "Hello?"

Charlotte's heart stopped. She knew exactly who it was.

Alaine.

"Char, I know you're in here. I let your dog in and I can see your clothes on the floor. Listen, if your scared to face me, I don't blame you."

Charlotte had no idea what she was talking about. But she was about to get an answer.

"I know you were in the stall when me and my mom were 'talking'. I say you walk in there earlier and it was too late to warn my mom. I guess I wasn't the easiest person when we met. No, I was easy, but I left you hanging after I said all that stuff about being a senior and found out that you were one."

"I know you also heard about the dog thing and, if you were good at hearing...well, the point is that I'm sorry about how I treated you and I would like to be friends with you, but it doesn't make sense to befriend someone whose going to college by the next year."

Charlotte chuckled, only to cover her mouth and look at her tail. Alaine couldn't see this! God, if she did, who knows how she would react.

She heard Alaine's footsteps walk towards the corner and quickly yelled "Stop!".

Alaine stopped walking, letting Charlotte silently sigh in relief.

"Alaine, I honestly don't know what to say. One part of my can't help but want to smack you for acting so dense...but the other part of me can forgive you," Charlotte said from the corner. There was a wall between them that separated Alaine and Charlotte's tail.

"Well, why don't you come out then? It's not like I haven't seen a girl naked before," Alaine said. Then, she started walk towards the wall again.

Charlotte was done. She knew it. Alaine was going to see her tail, freak out, and next thing she knows, she gonna end up on some research table.

Charlotte closed her eyes and started to mentally count the steps.

1...

2...

3...

WOOF! WOOF!

Charlotte heard Thomas growl and Alaine scream. She opened her eyes and saw that her dog wasn't beside her. She didn't know how, but she managed to twist her body so that the upper part could see what was happening on side of the wall and her tail was up against the wall.

And did she owe Thomas her dinner for what he saw.

Thomas had jumped on top of Alaine and was licking her. Alaine, however, was screaming her lungs of.

"Get him off! Get him off! GET HIM OFF!" Alaine screamed.

Charlotte did some quick thinking and said "Thomas! Rule 1 # and Rule 5#! Get off of her and leave ! She's not a threat! Alaine, go outside, I'll meet you at the gates in a few minutes!"

Thomas quickly got off of her and ran out of the room. Alaine got up, postured herself, and gave her a silent "Thank you" before leaving the locker room.

Charlotte sighed in relief. _That was too close_, she thought.

* * *

**That night**

Charlotte was up that night, 12am, to be specific, on her computer looking for the phone number for Paradise Cove. After she dried herself and put on some clothes, she apologized to Alaine about Thomas's 'attack' and was _extremely_ thankful that she was forgiven. After that, she called her mom to pick her up and the three of them drove in silence.

Then, she decided a _long _bath. In other words, she spent _3 hours_ looking at her tail. The dorsal fin was scarlet red and the tail was a deep, sparkling magical blue. It was like what happened a week ago ay Paradise Cove, to prove that she wasn't imagining anything.

Now, since Thomas wasn't in the room, Charlotte was laid out on her bed and was surfing the web for a phone number.

_How could I have a tail?_ she thought to herself,_ I haven't been anywhere near a moon pool, nor found a cave that held one._

And that was saying something. Right before she walked away from Lewis that day, she told him- no, she _vowed_ that she would never go near a moon pool for the rest of her life, meaning : until the day she died. And even if she found one, she would do her best to keep it hidden, but never jump in it, especially during a full moon.

Now look what happened! She somehow broke her vow and now she's a mermaid again. And this time, she did NOT want it!

So, while she was searching for the number on her computer, she racked her brain, trying to figure out anything that would reverse the transformation. Suddenly, she remembered the "showdown" between her and the other mermaids. Since it was the night she lost her powers, she could easily remember the planetary alignment.

Every 50 years, all the planets aligned with the moon. Any mermaid that was in a moon pool during this time would lose their powers forever. Though the old her would have done a happy dance, celebrating the return of her tail and her powers _permanently_, the new Charlotte was just getting back to into the 'normal life' routine, despite having a year of it, and didn't need them anymore.

"Bingo!" she said when she found the phone number.

As she grabbed her cellphone and started to dial the number, she stopped. Could she really trust them? After all, they were acting strange, like they were keeping something from her. Though she didn't push on it and told Laguna what she saw. For all she knew, they all probably thought she was crazy.

Suddenly, she started to scroll down her contact list and found a number that she should've deleted a long time ago.

A _really_ long time ago.

She clicked on the number and the person on the other side answered.

"Hello?"

"Lewis, it's Charlotte. I have a situation on my hands and would you rather hear this on the phone or video chat?"


	12. Unexpected Calls and The Legend, Part 2

**HAHA. I know! Some of you may have seen that coming, and some may not. But don't worry, Lewis won't be in this story for long. Otherwise, this would be one of the many stories on this site that add too much drama on 1 chapter. **

**Read and review!**

* * *

_Previously..._

_Suddenly, she started to scroll down her contact list and found a number that she should've deleted a long time ago._

_A really long time ago._

_She clicked on the number and the person on the other side answered._

_"Hello?"_

_"Lewis, it's Charlotte. I have a situation on my hands and would you rather hear this on the phone or video chat?"_

* * *

**Present time...**

"So, let me get this straight," Lewis said as the two were talking to each other through the computer screen. They were using an international link through Skype to talk to each other, and thankfully, he was straight forward on listening to Charlotte explain her 'problem', if she could call it that. After saying hello and talking about how their lives were, _not mentioning the girls_, Charlotte went straight to the point and told him what happened, mainly trying to avoid an awkward moment between them.

"You're a mermaid again?! Wait! Let me do something right quick." Lewis reached into a drawer in his desk, pulled out a flash drive, and plugged it into his computer. He waited a few minutes before talking again. "Alright, I made sure no one can try to listen in or try to hack into my laptop. **( To me, computers and laptops are the same thing, so I might go back and forth.) **So tell me, as clearly as you can, what happened."

Charlotte started to explain the incident in the locker room the best that she could, minus what had happened with Alaine.

"I don't know how, but I was in the middle of a shower when I changed. I drooped my soap, picked it up, and ended up falling to the floor, but instead of falling on my legs, I had a tail," she said.

" But you told me you would never go near a moon pool and nevertheless, jump in one during a full moon," Lewis said, a little hurt. Normally, Charlotte would have took pity on him and all. But she wasn't having that and she was starting to get angry.

"That's the point!" she said through her gritted teeth," I don't remember getting in one! I was like one day, I'm lying on the grass next to a broken-down bus and the next day, I'm waking up in a hospital!"

"Wait! You were in the hospital!? First of all, I need to see you change, because, for all I know, you could have hallucinated," he said.

Charlotte nodded, locked her bedroom door, and moved the computer to the end of the bed so that it looked lie she was in the middle of her room. Then, she pulled out her water bottle from her gym bag and squeezed the water from the bottle and on her hand.

...Ten seconds...Twenty seconds...

Then, her body started to get encased with water that started to swirl around her and she fell to the floor, her new tail fully exposed.

Lewis, who had a front row seat and saw the thing, looked at her in shock. She recognized the look well. It was the some expression he had when she told- more like showed him the first time she was a mermaid.

"Charlotte... I swear, if I ever get to come to America, I need to pay you a visit. I don't know how, but I should be grateful that you called me the moment you found out. But why are you just changing now? Does it have anything to do with you being in the hospital?"

This got her. Is it possible the only reason she didn't change was because she was in the hospital? But that was impossible. The nurses could have given her a bath while she was unconscious. Plus, she took a shower the day she left and she didn't form a tail then.

Then, his phone rang. He looked at it with a panic expression and then looked at Charlotte , who had managed to drag herself back to the bed.

"It's Cleo. Listen, when I can, we have- no, we _need_ to talk. You need to tell me what happened earlier or before you got sent to the hospital. I'll try to work on this and get back to you as soon as I can."

Charlotte sighed in relief. Though no one knew this, unlike the girls, Lewis was the _only_ one who had_ fully_ forgiven her. Plus, how would Cleo sleep at night knowing that Lewis and she still kept contact with each other.

Suddenly, something crossed her mind.

"NO! I'm sorry Lewis, but if you ever come to America for whatever reason, stay for that reason only. Don't you DARE come visit me! I mean if-"she was about to continue but Lewis stopped her.

"I know what you're trying to say. You didn't come to me with this as a lover or anything, but your coming to me as a friend, and for the fact that I'm the _only_ mermaid researcher out there that you know . Don't worry, Char, your secret's safe with me."

She swore under her breath. If the old Charlotte heard those words, it would have made her swoon. But this Charlotte wasn't like that. She just gave him a polite smile, which he returned.

Then, his phone started to ring again.

"Thanks. Anyways, I gotta go and dry this tail off before my mom tries to come in here and Cleo gets sick of calling you and pays you a visit. Bye!"

Before Lewis could say anything, she ended the chat and logged out of Skype. And right on cue, her tail disappeared and she was back in her normal clothes. The first thing she did was unlock her door and opened it, only to show Thomas sitting there, looking at her.

"Well, you coming in?"

He did and made himself comfortable as he laid down on the floor, by the foot of the bed.

She sighed as she moved her laptop and laid on the bed, staring at the white ceiling.

What was she gonna do?

Obviously, she couldn't wait for the next alignment. By the time it happened, she would be close to an old woman. **( Ha, I make jokes to my mom about being old since she's one year away from being 50 herself!) **And know she was wondering if telling Lewis was a mistake. Sure, he had enough knowledge to help her and all, but thinking back to when she first told him she was a mermaid, the first thing he did was tell the others.

And that was one thing she knew for sure : the girls could NOT, in capital letters, know that she was a mermaid again.

And as much as she wanted to think about herself, she was thinking about Cleo.

Charlotte could never forget how horrible she treated her, even if someone saw her point-of-view and went against the girls, she caused that herself and there was no way of taking it back.

That's truly why she returned the locket to Lewis and didn't apologize to girls directly:

She was unworthy of their presence.

Suddenly, she looked at her computer screen and saw _it._

The number to Paradise Cove Café.

She quickly grabbed her phone and redialed the number. Maybe they'd think she was crazy..._or maybe they were concerned about something._

But she knew one thing: Laguna owed her an explanation.

* * *

**That Saturday**

Phil had no problem taking her, and Thomas, to Paradise Cove. He got a new bus, though his employers had given him a time limit since the 'bus incident'.

After he dropped them off in the parking lot, she saw a sign with the word _NO PETS ALLOWED _near the beach entry_. _She knelt to Thomas and said " I need to go in and see someone. So, stay here and don't let anyone call animal control on you, o.k.?"

WOOF!

She scratched him behind his ear affectionately. "That's my good boy." With that, she tied him to a pole and started walking to the café.

* * *

The beach wasn't as crowded as usual, so the café was halfway empty. Charlotte walked up to the register to find herself greeted by Karen.

"Why, Charlotte, it's been a while," she said with a smile on her face. Charlotte returned it.

" Well, I was wondering, is your mother was around?" Charlotte asked.

Karen smiled as she pointed to the outdoor patio on the side of the café. Charlotte turned to see Laguna's back facing her.

"She's been waiting for you," Karen said, "go talk to her. She's been out there all morning." Charlotte took her suggestion and went to join Laguna.

Laguna was staring out at the beach. From the back, her long, grey hair was flowing down along her shoulders and she was wearing a plain blue dress and had no shoes on.

She looked at peace.

Charlotte started to turn away when she heard Laguna say "I've been expecting you."

* * *

"You know, when you told me about your 'vision', it wasn't that hard to believe," Laguna said to Charlotte as the two were seated at a table, drinking some ice-cold lemonade that Karen had brought them. Charlotte was surprised, and a little taken back.

"There is a legend, well, a story you might think, that's been passed down through my family for generations. But I have one single question for you."

Charlotte was listening.

"Do you believe in mermaids?"

Charlotte did her best not to roll her eyes. _No, I've been one for a few months last year,_ she thought.

"No, I mean, not like the 'Little Mermaid' type, but the stories that my grandmother had told me when I was little. They made me a believer for a while."

Laguna looked at her. "Oh really. What were they about?"

Charlotte gave a fake shrug and said "They were usually about three girls who find a hidden cave with a pool of water. And during a full moon, it gave them powers and turned them into mermaids. I don't remember the powers very well, but I think it was something like wind, water, or fire or so something."

Charlotte knew what she was doing. If she played it off like she didn't care, she wouldn't sound like she was telling the truth and is discussion would be bearable.

Laguna smiled at her. "She sounds like a fine woman _and_ a good story-teller. Maybe I could meet her someday."

"I don't think that'll happen. She's dead."

Charlotte didn't mean to say it_ that_ bluntly. But she wanted to avoid this topic. You see, just like the Australia incident, because she had to steal that tape from Cleo and watch it, she ended up finding out her grandmother's secrets and look where that got her!

Laguna frowned, then gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry dear. I shouldn't have said that. But it really seems that she was a nice woman."

Charlotte smiled to herself a little._ Yes, she_ thought, _yes she was indeed._

"But you got two of those right."

She looked at Laguna. "Two of what?"

"Two of the powers from her stories. In my family, we call them the Original Three: water, fire, and ice. If you'd like, I can tell you what that's got to do with the legend, if you want?" Laguna asked.

Charlotte noticed something. Unlike when they first met, Laguna had a strong, stern look on her face. This time, she had a friendly expression.

"Alright, but only since it sounds interesting," she said. Laguna smiled at her, her teeth brightly shining in the sun.

"It started a million or two years ago, when most of the earth was covered in water and water was suddenly bringing in new land? Well, that sounds wrong. Let's see... ahh. How about we start with this new 'discovery' on mermaids. Have you ever heard of it? It's mostly on an Animal something?"

Charlotte knew what she was talking about. "Animal Planet. Yeah, I saw that episode. The idea that mermaids only speak to and like whales is kind of ridiculous."

She wasn't lying about that. On one of the many nights she had to go downstairs and turn off the TV that her dog was watching, she decided to join him and ended up watching "Mermaids: The Discovery". The whole concept that those were what real mermaids looked like and all was pure fiction to her and she didn't believe it.

Then again, no one would believe that she was a mermaid once.

"Well," Laguna said, " they're real."

Charlotte did her best not to look surprised as she continued.

" They're real. After the apes, as you call them, moved towards land, some moved towards the sea, and eventually, looking exactly how they were described : more fish than human. But some started to change, their tails turning to different colors and the upper part of their body looking more like a land dweller. But this was natural evolution. It couldn't be stopped. But, like many others, the Originals, as my family calls them, couldn't accept change and turned dark. We call them the Dark Ones. They tend to stay under the radar, using most of the old methods and refused to adapt like the others, who were using methods of the land dwellers, like keeping records and court dates, which was quite common actually."

Charlotte felt the urge to interrupt and did so.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that the mermaids that they're looking for are really the old ones? And what do you mean by the 'others'?" she asked.

Laguna's eyes widened and looked at her for a moment and then began to talk. Charlotte swore she would've seen her eyes light up in joy for her question.

" The 'others' fit the description of the 'Little Mermaid'. They look more like a land dweller at the top and a fish tail at the bottom. And yes, humans have gone into places they have no idea the Dark Ones live, though I can't really blame them. As far as most people know, mermaids were a type of fiction that were told to kids when they go to bed at night and most hope to grow out of. So you have no way of knowing your entering dark territory."

Charlotte was surprised at this new information. She had no idea how much _true_ background info that mermaids had, even if this was the basics. It almost felt like she had just opened up a door to something big. Something new.

If Lewis wasn't so nice, he'd probably kill for this information. Mostly because it fills in the holes in his research.

But this wasn't what she came for and had to get to the point.

" Miss Laguna-"

"Call me Laguna, dear."

"Laguna, last time I was here, you told me about a legend in response to my 'vision'. That's the main reason I'm here.: I want to here it."

For a moment, the expression an Laguna's face stood still, almost looked liked it was filled with darkness, and she didn't say anything. But it took a few moments before she exhaled a breath she was holding in and began to talk.

* * *

"I might never know of the origins of how the stories that your grandmother told came to her, but I can say she told stories close to an old legend in my family. You see, I come from a long line of mermaid believers. We, as in my family, knew that mermaids existed, but never bothered them. Instead, we made sure than no harm came to them in any way. Though many people never believed anything about my family, every once in a while, a tail would stick out of the water for reassurance," Laguna grinned as she said that.

"So, your family was a mermaid protection program?" Charlotte asked.

"Somewhat. No one knows how _that_ started, but my guess is that it took place after 1010 A.D., sometime before the Great War. But this is how the legend started:

Somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, there was a pod of mermaids. And inside that pod were 3 young mergirls : Marana, Ane'lie, Marana's little sister, and my namesake, Laguna. The three were some of the last mermaids to get their powers. Ane'lie, Ane for short,was a free spirit, and aside from the "Ursula" fiasco, she could have been Ariel, with that spirit and long, red hair.

Marana ws sort of the leader of the group and the beauty, or so I heard. Ane would do small errands for her and did as her sister told, mostly out of love. My name sake was a little different. She was born with the ability to see the past, most likely to prevent problems in the future. She was a good friend of Marana's and a best friend to Ane. Both of them were known for playing tricks and pulling pranks. Though that _constantly_ got them in trouble with the elders, as you teenagers say, it was totally worth it."

Charlotte chuckled.

"On the night the girls and the others got their powers, something went... awry. Marana received the ability to control fire, which was joyous for her. Laguna received the ability to manipulate water, much to her liking. But Ane... she received all three powers: fire, water, and ice. If You were there, you could tell that the pod had no idea on whether they should panic or not. No one has ever received all three powers before, especially if there were three mermaids in the pool. For a while, Ane and Laguna would use their powers, Ane had later learned to use the correct hand gestures, to play pranks on the pod as usual.

But one day, Ane wasn't looking and somehow... just on instinct, she turned around and froze a great white shark completely. Now, I don't remember well, but whether sharks were warm-blooded or cold-blooded, Ane'lie somehow managed to freeze it completely, and with one push forward, the shark literally shattered into tiny pieces of fragments."

Laguna held her hand up, made a hand gestures like Emma's, and pushed it forward. It seemed as if she was just demonstrating it until there was a loud crash behind them. The two turned around to see Brendan on the ground, wearing strange-looking gloves and picking up what appeared to be a broken plate. Charlotte pointed to the gloves and raised an eyebrow at Laguna.

"He always pricks himself, so we made him wear gloves," Laguna explained. Charlotte nodded in understanding and told her to continue.

"Laguna and Marana were there when it happened. While Laguna wanted to take Ane to the council, a mermaid council, and see if they could lessen her powers, Marana had a different plan at the time. The Ane'lie didn't go to the council, her sister had he doing strange 'errands' at the time, a task Ane always did out of love.

However, as the years passed and the three mergirls turned into beautiful mermaids, they were starting to grow apart. Marana seemed to be getting... darker, like rebelling against the pod, breaking the rules, and many other things. Laguna didn't know what was going om with her friends. While Marana was being dark and manipulative, Ane was being secretive and mute, the exact opposite of who she really was. One night, Laguna went to face them and overheard the sisters terrible plan... to use to take control of the land dwellers."

Charlotte didn't realize how into the story she was until Laguna told her to whipe the drool from her face and continued.

"As hard as it was to believe, Marana had planned this since the shark incident. Whenever the pod found a new moon pool, Marana would force Ane into it and make her get new powers. Do you understand what I'm saying? Marana was making her own sister so powerful that it would have been unearthly of the consequences. Laguna told the council immediately and they all agreed to render her powers, for her sake.

But it was too late. On the surface on the Atlantic, Marana had ordered Ane to create a electrical storm, one that was powerful enough no one could escape. Laguna rose to the surface and saw the largest, widest waterspout she had ever see. So many black thunder clouds covered the sky that only lightning and thunder could be seen. Then lightning hit the water as well as the thunder. It seemed like a two person orchestra : like music, Ane was the musician and Marana was the composer. She tried to destroy the council by ordering Ane to strike them with lightning, and it nearly electricuted everyone, The merpeople escaped from the with their lives and even Marana abandoned ship, leaving Ane'lie to finish what she started. Ane'lie found herself creating the walls of a huge whirl pool and made the hand gestures to command the storm to head towards land.

She was all alone... execpt for Laguna. Though she didn't know how Ane was being played like a puppet, she would always be her friend. It took a great amount of time and effort for Laguna to command the water, something she practically didn't have. By the time she was close enough t talk to Ane, she begged and pleaded for her to stop. And the moment Ane'lie saw the tears running down Laguna's desprate face, she made an eternal vow, one that could never be broken."

Charlotte was so scared to ask that she wasn't sure what to do. But she had to know. "What did she vow?"

Laguna looked at her, like she was debating with herself on whether or not to tell her. But she sighed and continued.

"She specifically said:

By the power vested on myself, by the High Mermaid Council and the Moon, that I shall die at this moment but forever shall my reincarnation and decendants be land dwellers and never touch the sea forever as a merperson.

Then she look at Laguna in surprise as she made a vow too. She said:

By the power vested on myself, by the High Mermaid Council and the Moon, that I wills pend my days on lamd and sea, have children and and decendants that will help as I age to watch over Ane'lie'r reincarnations and her decendants forever, to prevent the Great Storm from ever happening again.

With those vows made, the storm collasped, hiting and destroying Ane'lie and surprisingly sending Laguna far away.. Ever since, she had remained on this very earth, searching for her reborn friend and protecting her. That, my dear Charlotte, is the legend of the Cove family, or as merpeople would call us, the Mermaidians."

Charlotte stared at her in awestruck. Though part of her was trying to make a mental note to do more mermaid research, the other part of her was frozen. She now knew that there was no way that Laguna was lying to her about this. Laguna was a mermaid, or atleast, her family were merpeople.

But she hid it quickly and played it off. As far as she knew, her last 24 hours of being a completely normal human being was over. In fact, her last twelve months of it was over.

"It's a good thing you came to me when you did or else you would've had no idea on how to use your powers."

Charlotte looked at Laguna and quickly got up from her seat. "I'm sorry, but I think you've got the wrong idea. You see, I asked th here the legend because-"

"Because strange things have been happening to you and you have absolutley no idea why," Laguna said, "I think that we should speak more-"

"NO!" Charlotte shouted. A few heads turned to them. To avoid the awkward moment, she leaned in close to Laguna and said "Listen, I have no idea on what the heck your talking about. I'm just an ordinary girl with a ordinary life with ordinary problems. There's nothing special about me except that I love art and I like being average."

She knew she was in denial. Denial was a normal trait. Normal was something everybody has. Normal was something she tried to be. But that was wrong.

Then, Laguna whispered to her "Your introuble, Charlotte. Your already a pawn in _her_ game and _she_ won't stop playing until she gets what she wants. If you just let me help-"

Charlotte didn't want to hear it. She quickly started walking away from Laguna, not wanting to hear anymore of her "advice". She didn't want to be special. Special was bad. As in, no good, bad luck, no luck, just anything not good. It's bad enough that's she's a mermaid, but now she was gonna cause more trouble than needed.

And this is NOT how she wants to spend her life.

Just as she got off the last step of the patio, she bumped into Brendan, who was carrying a crate of wet crabs. As they collided, the crate spilled, the crabs and the water pouring all over her.

"Oh, sorry. Are you o.k.?" he asked as he wiped the crabs off her and tried to help her up. But Charlott'es mind was screaming three things: water, ocean, RUN!

She got up quickly and mad a mad dash as she ran to the beach and immediantly dived into the water.

* * *

**HAHA! This is the end to my _long_ chapter. And you have to admit, my Animal Planet facts mixed with the world oh H20: GENIUS!**

**The next chapter is shortly after Charlotte dives into the water.**

**READ AND REVIEW!**


	13. Reassurance and Revelations

**New chapter is up! ENJOY AND BE AMAZED AT THE FEELING YOU'VE HAD NO IDEA CHARLOTTE FELT WHEN SHE LEFT!**

* * *

**Previously..**

_Charlotte didn't want to hear it. She quickly started walking away from Laguna, not wanting to hear anymore of her "advice". She didn't want to be special. Special was bad. As in like, no good, bad luck, no luck, just anything not good. It's bad enough that's she's a mermaid, but now she was gonna cause more trouble than needed._

_And this is NOT how she wants to spend her life._

_Just as she got off the last step of the patio, she bumped into Brendan, who was carrying a crate of wet crabs. As they collided, the crate spilled, the crabs and the water pouring all over her._

_"Oh, sorry. Are you o.k.?" he asked as he wiped the crabs off her and tried to help her up. But Charlotte's mind was screaming three things: water, ocean, RUN!_

_She got up quickly and made a mad dash as she ran to the beach and immediately dived into the water._

* * *

**Present Time...**

_Great,_ Charlotte thought,_ now I'm back on the "no-touching-water" policy, AGAIN!_

She started to swim deeper into the ocean. She needed to get to dry land quick and find a way to dry off.

Then, she heard a voice.

_Move to the boulders_

_Move to the boulders..._

That voice. It was helping her?

Charlotte did what it said and swam to the surface. She saw a few boulders at the edge of the beach. They were large enough to hide her. She went back underwater and swam towards the rocky shore.

A few minutes later, she dragged herself behind the boulders and hid her tail as best she could. She looked at it and noticed something strange.

For some reason, her tail was glistening and changing colors. Her dorsal fin was changing from scarlet red to violet to red again and her tail was changing from its deep magical blue to indigo to blue again.

_Wierd_, she thought.

WOOF! WOOF!

Charlotte turned her head and saw Thomas effortlessly climbing over the boulders, trying to get to her. And by the looks of it, he snapped his leash off. By the time he got to her, Charlotte gave him a scowl.

"Thomas! I told you to wait for me! Why don't you listen?!" she exclaimed. However, he took offense of this and kept barking at her.

WOOF! WOOF!

"Stop Thomas! I said STOP!" Charlotte exclaimed, trying to stop him from attracting anybody and she did not plan on ending up in an aquarium or a laboratory anytime soon. But he kept on barking.

WOOF! WOOF!WOOF!WOOF!WOOF!

Suddenly, Charlotte made her hands form a closed fist and threw them into the ground hard.

"STOP!"

Almost immediately, a huge fire started to aflame aside her. Charlotte jumped, but since she was in her mermaid form, she couldn't go far. Then, she looked at her hands.

"Did I just do that?" she muttered to herself. Then, she noticed that her hands were still closed and remembered something.

This was Rikki's hand gesture.

She looked at the fire, then her hands, and looked at the fire again. Carefully, she opened her hand towards the fire and pulled it back, like she was pulling something towards her.

The fire disappeared.

Starting to feel giddy, a feeling that she hadn't felt in a year, she concentrated as she put her closed hand near her tail and watched as it got covered in steam and disappeared, leaving her dry and back in her original clothes.

She couldn't believe it. She had gotten her one of her old powers back. What did she do? Jump into a moon pool with similar powers or something? Though part of her, probably the old Charlotte, was doing a happy dance as she was felt the magical surge flowing through her again, the new Charlotte was terrified.

* * *

**That night at Paradise Cove...**

Laguna was pacing back and forth in the family office, having a "discussion" with her family.

And by "discussion", they were talking about their new favorite topic at the moment: Charlotte.

"I'm... I'm... I can't even begin to describe how today went! One moment, I'm telling her what could be her past and the next thing I know, she's talking and going on about being average and ordinary! ORDINARY! That's the last thing she doesn't have time for! And you heard your son, Karen. It usually takes 10 seconds for the transformation to occur. It took Charlotte longer to change! I swear-"

"Mother!" Karen interrupted rudely, "I think your going at this the wrong way! I mean, you can't blame her! Denial is what makes a person human. And just hearing that you're a reincarnation of a mermaid, one that almost tried to destroy civilization, well, not only is that unbelievable, it's really hard to deal with, even IF she believes it! And what's so wrong about being ordinary? The idea of having friends, going to the mall and having to be invited to parties with kids your own age, and having a boyfriend for Pete's sake!

Compared to being a mermaid, land dwellers have it well,especially when their teenagers. When you're a mermaid, you have to _choose_ your friends and HOPE that you don't have to go through betrayal, you can't go anyplace fun without hoping that one drop of water won't touch you, and having a boyfriend... I'm not even going to name the horrors of that. But being a mermaid and dating is probably the most deadliest thing close to being experimented on in a laboratory or on display in an aquarium. And _so what _if it took 20 seconds to change? For the moment, she's lucky."

Jonathan and Brendan just sat on the couch and watched as the two women argued in silence. Karen was usually the one to keep her cool when her mother was ranting. But it seems that tonight, the tables were turned. Both were shouting at each other and everything.

"Soo, whose side are you on?" Brendan asked his step-father quietly.

"Easy. I'm on my team," Jonathan replied as he watched the women fight.

"First of all, young woman if it took her longer to change, then she going to be used for deadly, and it always is, " Laguna said, "secondly, ordinary means trouble! You think she can have fun, like go to a _pool party_ and _not _get wet? Or what if she does get a boyfriend? Don't you know that trusting a land dweller with the secret is practically suicide?! Every mermaid that gives up the secret is practically endangering every mermaid that has tried to stay hidden, whether they live on land or in a pod!

Heck, do you know how many of your 'suitors' I couldn't trust for the sake of our safety? Even Brendan's father, damn that man to hell, could have reported us the moment he found out that he _helped _sired a merman with a mermaid and we would've ended up in a laboratory or something! And _she_'s rising-"

"Mother! I've kept up this charade for long enough and I have to say it: It's Marana! The mermaid you were once friends with, the mermaid that needed an attitude adjustment, the mermaid who turned _and_ used her little sister into a weapon of mass destruction, the mermaid who fled from her sister to avoid her own undoing, and the mermaid who possibly has complete control of Charlotte!

Think about her, Mother. Any moment, at any time, Marana could get into her head and Charlotte could never know what she was going to do! Mother," Karen pleaded, "Charlotte is, in he own way, just a girl. A girl that doesn't need to be told that a mermaid has possible mind control over her or that the fate of the world is in her hands, or a tail. She just doesn't know what world she just entered. Just give her some time to get used to it. She just needs time."

Laguna looked at her daughter. She had lived for many centuries and Karen proved to be the only one to go as far as begging. Karen started to cry and stress, which was something a 6 month old pregnant woman didn't need. Karen begged for only two things in her life: the first was to not go after Brendan's biological father after he left her 18 and pregnant and the second time was when she begged her for her blessing to marry Jonathan, a man who she thought was supposed to never show any love towards anyone, let alone Karen. Those decisions made her who she was Today. And now she was begging ,no, pleading for something to happen under her own mother's agenda.

As Laguna turned away to leave the office, she said "She'll come when she wants to. But if Marana starts controlling her too soon, I'm finding that girl's address and dragging her down here against her will."

As she left, Karen sighed in relief. Despite just meeting Charlotte, she had already begun to like her. She wasn't sure why, but she just did.

* * *

**At Charlotte's house...**

Lewis managed to get back to her and through a secure Skype link, Charlotte told him the legend and everything.

"Amazing! I never thought of the connection. And though there's obviously more to the history, I think you can trust her," Lewis said.

"Really? Trust a crazy woman who just claimed to be almost as old as Earth with... you know. _And if you forgot,_ I spent almost a year as an ordinary girl. I don't need a legend, much less, a tail, to destroy that. I'm a normal, ordinary girl who has a life to live you know," Charlotte said.

"You can still live your life and be normal. All you have to do avoid touching water in places like pool parties and beaches, unless you plan on taking a swim by yourself. It can't be that hard."

"Lewis, don't you remember what i did to, oh, I don't know, be 'normal'?" Charlotte said sarcastically.

There was a pause for a moment.

"Yeah, I thought so."

And Lewis answered. "And what's so great about being normal. Just being an average, ordinary, _normal_ girl?"

Charlotte was quick to point out the pros and cons to that question.

"Easy, when your _not_ a mermaid, you have: _normal_ high school problems, make friends and enemies easily, go to pool parties and have fun, at least _try_ to get some bonding done with your parents, go to college and get a normal college experience like the others, and get a boyfriend and break up over and _over_ again un til you find yourself wearing a long, white dress,walking down the aisle and saying ''I Do''!

When you _are _a mermaid: you have _absolutely no idea _if your friends are your enemies and your enemies are your friend, can't go to any water-rated social activities and have fun without getting wet and running for your life, can't tell your parents _a thing _about it, I don't think I can name the horrors of college, and for a boyfriend... you would either face rejection or be called a freak, end up on human display in an aquarium, or find yourself being cut open on a lab table! So, to sum it up, my life would be ruined as a mermaid and I can't live my life-like that!"

For a moment, Charlotte turned away from the screen. She felt her eyes watering up band felt like crying. Didn't the universe know that she learned her lesson! She suffered from depression, and possibly still is, had a shitty life for the rest of her Junior year of high school, got herself admitted to the hospital, and finding that she had a tail again was the worst thing that could happen now!

She was insanely depressed and tired of living as a result.

By the time she looked at the screen, Lewis could visibly see that she was about to cry and looked at her in concern.

"Charlotte... are you crying?" he asked her carefully. This was an entirely new view for him. He had never seen her cry and it broke his heart a little. To be honest, he expected her to cry when she lost her powers to the girls, and though he wasn't sure of it, he still wondered if she cried herself to sleep afterwards and when she gave back the locket, she didn't even shed a tear. **(1)**

Though the others would kill him for thinking this, when he asked for the locket back, he thought he was overstepping his boundary there. After all, despite the locket being given to Cleo by Miss Catham, its original owner was Charlotte's grandmother, Gracie Watsford, one of the mermaids 50-no 100 years ago, if you count the moon occurence last year.

So, taking away Cleo and the abuse of Charlotte's powers, the locket was practically Char's birthright that had missed a generation and was given to her, taking away that she actually stole it, but still. He saw the hurt and pained expression that she had when she returned it, and for a little while, it bothered him.

Finding out Gracie's past and literally living it out had given Charlotte more of a connection to her, and after losing her powers, that locket was all she had left and by giving it back, all she had left were memories of her. And now that Cleo ditched the locket for a moon necklace and practically forgot about it, he wondered if she'd noticed it went missing, saying that it probably got lost but it was actually sent to Charlotte? **(2)**

But knowing _this_ Charlotte and the present moment, by the time it got to her, in two weeks tops or more, he would open his front door, find a package, open it, and find the locket returned untouched along with a note saying if he tried it again she might consider _swimming _all the way to Queensland just to actually attempt to kill him. **(3)**

"You know what Lewis?" Charlotte asked, causing him to break out of his thoughts and look to see her tears slowly falling down her cheeks, "some things are just worth crying over! Why don't you tell the others that! I'm _so_ _sure_ Rikki and the others would_ love_ to see me so upset, or better, crying over them like the wicked witch that I am!

_After all_, I practically tried, and almost successfully, ruin Cleo's life, possibly hurt a potential relationship between Emma and some boy she liked, yes I noticed that, and pretty much got on Rikki's last nerve and deserved every wave of emotional abuse that she sent me! Admit it Lewis! I'm the bad guy! I'm the evil villainess that ran away home crying and let the good guys have a well deserved happy ending!

The water princess got her knight in shining armor, her locket, and her life back, the ice princess kept her tail and her guy, and the fire princess never had to deal with the evil witch ever again. All well it ends well, doesn't it! I mean, look at me!

My only friends are a dog and possibly my bully, I rarely paint or have anything to do with art, my mom is rarely home and when she is, she ignores me, I've been hospitalized twice and..and... I'm a mess, a nobody, a loser and that's all I'll ever be! If I get one,_ one_, good thing, something bad happens, and I'm lost! You.. your special! You have a mermaid for a girlfriend, have mermaid friends that you do 'tests' on, your smart like crazy, you.. you.. you guys are the special ones! The ones with a purpose in live! I'm...I'm a waste of space..."

And that's when the water works started.

She busted into tears and started to let out soft wails,something that kept her from completely losing all her bearings. A stream of tears came pouring down her face, but no matter how much she wiped them or how quickly she did, the tears kept falling.

But what shocked and shook her to her core was that she was spilling her guts out to a guy whose supposed to be against her and she started to cry harder.

Man, she was pathetic.

But Lewis...so many emotions were going through him that, he knew that the next words that he said might dictate whether or not the next time he hears from her, it's a funeral invite.

"Charlotte Watsford!" he growled, catching her attention, "don't you dare think like that! To be honest, I'm taking away every reason from last year and stating this: Charlotte Watsford, don't even _think_ about killing yourself! Your not a loser, or a nobody, or whatever you just called yourself! Believe me when I say this, nobody is perfect. Everybody is born with a unique trait that everybody loves. Take away everything that happened between you and the girls, I believe that you are just born one of the few people who have good sides and bad sides. For example, from the moment we met and the moment we last saw each other in person, I knew that the girl _that I _saw loses her powers were two separate people.

Yeah, maybe you did go a little crazy, and I'm using that term politely, but that crazy girl wouldn't have tried to make like _you_ did. That girl wouldn't have given up that locket like _you _did, she didn't try to move on like _you_ did, and as a result, this happened. And you think my life is normal?! Yes, I have a mermaid for a girlfriend , and her friends are mermaids too, but do you think that's easy!? On full moons, I get my butt kicked before and after they see it, the _'no-touching-water-policy'_ can get_ way_ out of hand and you would NOT believe how many close calls we've had when Rikki's not around to help, after a few days since Emma went away for her family's European trip, there's already another girl their hanging out with!

My point is that you are unique and were born to do something great and from what I'm hearing, it seems that Fate has watched over you and decided that you were ready to have your tail back. Maybe in some twisted way, you were born to do some special task and if it requires you to have a tail, then it means that your truly ready to redeem yourself. And that's reason you can't be normal. Because, no matter what you do, you will never be normal. Your... a treasure."

Charlotte stared at him. Halfway through his speech,she had stopped crying. Those had been the best words that anyone has spoken to her so far, in a day in her life. She wiped away the remaining tears and smiled.

"Lewis, you're a philosopher."

Lewis smiled. "No, I'm just your _average, normal_ mermaid researcher and expert. Though, if I didn't have Cleo, I'd be-"

"A dead man in a lonely sea grave with nothing to do," Charlotte teased. Lewis made a goofy face and was about to retort when her vision fades to black...

* * *

_A storm. That was what the sky looked like. The sky held grey clods that heavily rained and unleashed lightning and thunder. As the storm clouds grew darker, almost black, flashes of lightning bolts appeared everywhere._

_Charlotte looked around. She could see the sky, but saw walls of water circling around her, the size of the Hoover Dame. Se held up a closed fist and opened it towards the side of the rushing water. A lightning bolt appeared and hit the side of the whirlpool, she assumed she was in the middle of, causing the pool to become electrically charged._

_Charlotte smiled. She felt an extremely powerful surge of magic flow through her. And then she moved the clouds with a wave of her hand, not only moving the clods but creating a waterspout on the outside and a tornado on the inside._

_Then, the moon came into view. It was glowing electric blue in all its glory and she knew what she had to do. She raised her hand to the sky, in the moon's direction. She knew what she needed to do._

_Then, she heard a small cry._

_"Ana'lie...STOP!"_

_She turned around and saw a young woman-no, young mermaid with black hair and blue eyes, manipulating the electrically charged water as she made an effort to come towards her. Her face was tear-stained and it broke Charlotte's heart._

_"STOP!" the mermaid screamed, "you don't have to do this! You don't have to listen and bow to your sister's every will! You can fight this and end all of this madness!"_

_"I can't!" Charlotte yelled, "If I try, I would lose everything that I trained for and all of my sister's love and trust in me. To have more powers than any merperson and be in control of them. We merpeople shall not be harmed by any land dwellers!"_

_"But that's not your dream, its hers! She's using you, Ane. If she really loved you, she wouldn't have left you to die! And even if you lived, you would be hunted down, exiled, or worse, there'll be no more merpeople in general if you let her win! PLEASE, you were blessed to use these powers. Don't abuse them!"_

_Charlotte looked at the mermaid's face and looked around. There was not a merperson in sight, except for those two. Everything was so dark... empty. The mermaid was pleading at the mercy of her friend to stop her plan._

_Her friend...her...sister?_

_How could she be so stupid?_

_Her best friend. The one who always helped her with pranks since they were mergirls. The one who saw what she did to that shark and wanted to have her powers rendered for her sake. The one who she avoided under the command of her sister. The only one who had the power to face her at this time instead of fleeing for her own good._

_She was Charlotte's true sister._

_Charlotte looked up at the moon. It was giving off a powerful aura that she knew would decide everyone's fate._

_And she knew what it was._

_She had to make a vow._

_She raised her hand to the moon and said "By the power vested on myself, by the High Mermaid Council and the moon..." she knew what she was about to say next would change everything, but it had to be said, "that I shall die at this moment, but shall forever will my reincarnations and my descendants live as land dwellers and never touch the sea as a merperson FOREVER!"_

_There was a loud thunder-clap after her vow was made._

_It was eternal._

_As she readied herself for her ultimate sacrifice, she heard her ''sister''s voice and completely unexpected words._

_"By the power vested on myself, by the High Mermaid Council and the moon, that I will spend my days on land and sea, have children and descendants that will help me as I age to watch over Ane'lie's reincarnations and descendants to prevent the Great Storm from ever happening again!"_

_Ane'lie?_

_Charlotte looked at the mermaid who, despite her tear-stained face, was smiling at her._

_She smiled back, knowing that they will never be separated again._

(THUNDER CLAPS)

_Charlotte closed her hand towards herself and looked at the moon. It was glowing dangerously blue, due to too much power from the two vows._

_She looked at the mermaid and whispered,_

_"Goodbye, my sister."_

_She opened her hand and lightning, combined with the moon's energy, immediately struck her._

_All fades to black..._

* * *

"Charlotte!Charlotte!...CHARLOTTE!" Lewis yelled.

Charlotte snapped out of her trance and looked at Lewis, whose face was filled with panic and anger.

"Charlotte, what happened? Do you know or have any idea how much trouble you nearly gave me?! While you were having some sort of 'black out', my mom almost walked in and saw you! And belive me, if she saw me talking to you, she'd tell Cleo and it's all over!"

But she wasn't listening. Instead, she asked Lewis to do something for her.

"Lewis, I have some homework for you. Look up anything to do with storms or moon occurences recorded before or after 1010 A.C. and _please_ tell when you can that you'll find something."

Lewis looked at her skeptically. "Sure, Char, but what does this have to do with the legend or the 'Great Storm'? And why did you space out?"

Charlotte looked at him carefully and revealed her revelation.

"I...I...I think I just had a flashback or... a memory."

His eyebrows widened a little. "Of what?"

She gulped. "The day the storm was created... and the vow."

"What vow? You didn't..." then his eyes widened in shock, "Charlotte you didn't..."

But she nodded, knowing what he meant.

"I really am Ane'lie's reincarnation."

"Wait! But if your really her, then, if possibly, then that makes Laguna your..."

Lewis didn't need to say it. It was already confirmed.

Charlotte Watsford is the reincarnation of the mermaid, Ane'lie.

Laguna wasn't named after her namesake. She was the real Laguna and Ane's guardian.

And Charlotte's life was in danger.

* * *

**WOOOO! Sorry for taking so long! I've been busy with school and all, but now, I'm back.**

**Now I need your honest opinions. P.S NO BASHING CHARLOTTE!**

**1. Now can you, and the haters, really see how Charlotte felt about the whole ideal?**

**2. Don't hate me, but can you see the logic I put when I was writing about the locket! Because, to me, it made NO sense for Char to give it up only for Cleo to ditch it later.**

**3. Can you honestly see Char strangling Lewis for sending the locket to her? LOL ;) :)**

**Don't reply to me with 'good story' or 'I like it' or ect. Tell me how you honestly feel about it.**

**What did you think of the flashback?**

**MOST OF ALL...**

**READ & REVIEW!**


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